PORTSMOUTH goalkeeper Alex Bass suffered a hairline fracture of his foot while on loan at Southend United.

Bass played 45 minutes of the Shrimpers' 0-0 draw with Salford City on Saturday before having to be taken off with the injury.

And Portsmouth manager Kenny Jackett has confirmed Bass, who also suffered a leg fracture in January, is now set for another spell on the sidelines.

"It’s a similar problem, a hairline fracture of the same foot, unfortunately," Jackett told the Portsmouth News.

"It was very innocuous, Alex jumped for a ball with nobody near him and not under pressure. He took an easy catch and, when putting that particular foot down, just felt it slightly.

"Sometimes you can get a really heavy landing or twist awkwardly, these things can happen, in particular during pressure situations with bodily contact.

"That said, this has happened on a regular landing for a goalkeeper.

"We obviously look at things and how they have happened, but we went on a specialist’s advice and an X-ray (before he joined Southend), so this has been unfortunate.

"Some game time at Southend would have been perfect for Alex and for us."

Blues brought Bass in following an injury to Mark Oxley and have since signed James Montgomery on loan from Gateshead.