SOUTHEND United striker Barry Corr looks set to miss the start of the season with a knee injury.

Corr, who led Blues’ scoring charts with 21 goals last term, is still struggling with the problem he picked up in May.

And the Irishman could be out of action for at least another month.

“Barry is touch and go for the start of the season and it’s more likely he will start to be introduced into games at the end of August,” confirmed the club’s physiotherapist Ben Clarkson.

“It’s a very unusual injury and one which is more common in speed-skaters or ice-skaters, but it all stems from the problems he’s previously had with his back.

“That also limits what strengthening exercises we can do to improve the injury and we have to be careful.

“Barry had a similar injury on his left knee when he was at Leeds and ended up being out for quite a while, so that’s something we obviously want to avoid.

“He had an injection on the injury at the start of the summer and we went to see the specialist again this week, who is pleased with the progress Barry’s making so hopefully things can continue to go well.”

Corr, who bagged almost a third of his team’s goals last season, has missed Blues' first two pre-season friendlies.

But they remain short of strikers as Blair Sturrock is still also out with the ankle injury he sustained against Wycombe Wanderers at the end of last season following an accidental challenge from his own team-mate Bilel Mohsni.

“Blair had two injections into his ankle on Monday and we will have to wait five days now to see how that works,” added Clarkson.

“His progress has stalled over the last couple of weeks but we will try him out with some impact work at the end of the week and then see how he reacts to it.

“If it flares up again then he may need an operation, but that would obviously be a last resort and something we want to avoid because that would keep him out for longer.”

FULL STORY IN WEDNESDAY'S ECHO