Defender undergoes scan on troublesome hip.

Defender George Ray has had a cortisone injection to hopefully free some movement in his troublesome hip joint. The centre-half had the scan and injection yesterday and will be assessed again on Monday after having the weekend off to allow it to settle down.

Ray has been struggling with a hip and groin problem over the last few weeks and he had to withdraw from a U-23 game against Birmingham after complaining of some discomfort during the warm-up.

Steve told the club’s official web-site: “George has had a scan and had the injection yesterday. We are taking a conservative route with him and we are trying to avoid surgery.

“He has had today off to allow it to settle down and we will have another look at him when he comes in on Monday. He looks like being out for a few weeks but if the injection has the desired effect then we will build him back up and re-introduce him into training when he is ready.

“Any injury is a set-back for any player and we want George back playing as soon as possible because we will need everybody.”