SOUTHEND United skipper Nathan Ralph suffered a broken nose and a hairline fracture below his eye in Monday’s 1-1 draw at Woking.

The defender was taken off after just seven minutes following a nasty clash of heads with Woking defender Dan Moss.

And Blues boss Kevin Maher remains unsure if Ralph will be fit enough to feature again this season.

“He had an appointment last night with the specialist,” said Maher.

“There’s still a lot of swelling there so that’s going to need to settle down.

“It’s a broken nose obviously but we’ve got to let it settle down and see where he is in seven to 10 days.

“Just below his eye there’s a little hairline fracture as well.

“I’m no expert but it’s a nasty one.

“Fingers crossed he’s OK but we will have to see how it pans out.

“We don’t know if he’s out for the season but it will take time to settle down and whether there’s something further down the line we can do with regards to covering it up I don’t know.”

Ralph has made 30 appearances for Blues this season and will definitely not be available for Saturday’s match with Dagenham & Redbridge at Roots Hall.