CHELMSFORD City Head Coach Glenn Pennyfather has been dealt a blow to his preparations for Saturday’s trip to Weston-super-Mare with the news that attacking prospect Ricky Modeste faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

He suffered a serious facial injury in the midweek Essex Senior Cup semi-final defeat at AFC Hornchurch.

The Clarets’ promising forward was forced to leave the field after an accidental clash with an opponent left him needing urgent treatment on several broken teeth and a badly cut lip, resulting in a projected lay-off of a fortnight at the very least.

His absence hampers Pennyfather’s plans for the weekend, which would otherwise have been promising on the injury front.

“It will be nice to welcome back a few players after shaking-off knocks and niggling injuries, but the news about Ricky is a real shame,” Glenn explained.

“It will be a couple of weeks at the earliest before he’s given the go ahead to play as he’s seeing a specialist about reconstructive surgery.

"I was as disappointed about that as I was the result as he’s done fantastically well and his role within the team will be a big loss.”

On the positive side, defender Marlon Patterson is able to return to action following a two-match suspension while the likes of Ben Martin, Ricky Holmes and Matthew Lock are all in contention to feature having recovered from minor knocks.

They will be part of a squad looking to record a sixth consecutive league game without conceding, as well as atoning for the frustrating 2-2 draw against Weston at Melbourne in November.

Pennyfather added: “Our priority is to keep another clean sheet as we know going forward we’ll always create chances.

"Even though the teams we have to play are towards the bottom you only have to look at Dover’s result against Worcester to see that you have to work hard for everything you get.

"These games look easier on paper, but there’s nothing in the rule book to say we’ll definitely win.

"We must prepare properly.”

Weston-super-Mare have only financially-stricken Weymouth to look down on in the league table and have recorded just four wins in 33 matches.