SOUTHEND United striker Callum Powell hopes to be back in action before the end of the season.

Powell suffered a serious knee injury at Aldershot Town towards the end of September.

But the 27-year-old is targeting being able to play a part in the Shrimpers’ run-in.

“I’m aiming to be back but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself with a timescale to be honest,” said Powell.

“I’m hoping for around February March time if everything goes to plan and we’ll target that but we’ll have to see how things go.”

Powell had scored two goals in 11 games this season before being sidelined.

And it was an unusual way in which the injury occurred.

“I’ve gone to tackle or block a cross with my left foot,” said Powell.

“He’s slipped into my standing foot and his knee has gone into the side of mine.

“It’s pushed the shin bone backwards which has torn the PCL ligament which stops your knee from hyper-extending.

“It’s a bit of a freak one really but the only positive is that I don’t need an operation so the recovery time is halved.”

However, Powell still found the setback tough to take.

“When it first happened I carried on playing and I didn’t think it was that serious, I thought it was just an impact injury,” said Powell.

“The more I carried on playing the more my knee hurt and I couldn’t really move so I came off.

“But by the time I got the results back from the scan on the Monday I wasn’t in that much pain anymore, it was just a bit stiff.

“It was a complete shock when John (Gowens) and Stef (Russo) called me into the office and told me I could be out for around nine months.

“It was a difficult one to take and being honest it took me a few weeks to process it.

“You go from playing full-time and your life being football to it being taken away.

“It’s a reality check really and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”

But Powell is now fully focused on working his way back to full fitness while adhering to the restrictions in place.

“It’s still early days and it’s still a little bit stiff,” said Powell.

“I’m resting it as much as I can but it’s a bit of a nightmare getting round on the crutches if I’m honest.

“But I’m still in the gym every day doing strengthening work on my left hand side and upper body.

“I’m trying to keep myself ticking over and doing what I can but I’m seeing the specialist again at the end of the month to see how things are and hopefully come out of the brace.”

But Powell will not be looking too far ahead.

“It’s taking it step by step,” said Powell.

“They gave me a brief timescale of around four months but it’s all dependant on how the ligament heals itself because without the operation the fibres will knit back together.

“I’ll complete the rehab to the best of my ability and hopefully be back stronger as soon as possible.”