LUCKLESS Colchester United midfielder Cole Skuse has completed an unwelcome hat-trick.

The experienced Skuse was forced off with a cut to his head in the first half of the U's 2-2 draw with Leyton Orient, on Tuesday night.

It was the third time in the space of ten games that Skuse has had to be withdrawn with a head injury during a match for Colchester.

The 35-year-old suffered an eye problem in the first half of the U's 3-0 triumph at Salford City on January 22, in Wayne Brown's first game in charge.

And the experienced midfielder also suffered a gash to the head in Colchester's 1-0 win at Leyton Orient, on February 5.

Now he is recovering from a cut sustained to the side of his head in the U's game against Orient this week and is a doubt for the Vale match, as a result.

Colchester interim head coach Wayne Brown: “He’s had some luck, hasn’t he!

“That’s three in ten now he’s had with his head and had to come off.

“I feel for him a little bit but we’ll have to assess that day by day, to see how he is for Saturday."

Gazette:

Colchester will also run the rule over several other players, ahead of the Vale clash at the JobServe Community Stadium.

The U's have had a gruelling schedule over recent weeks and tomorrow's match will be their fifth in the space of 14 days.

“There’s a few with niggles and knocks," said Brown.

“We’ll have to assess and see how they react and how they settle down.

“It’s been a pretty hectic schedule and there’s been plenty of tired legs and plenty of tired bodies.

“That’s why you have to manage the group, the way that you do.

Gazette:

“We’ve not had many free weeks where we’ve not had a midweek game.

“But having 22 or 23 fit bodies helps, because you can leave people out and maybe rotate the starting XI or tweak it, without jeopardising the chances of the end goal which is three points.

“It’s something that we have to keep our eye on.

“It’s about managing the group with fitness and energy levels.

“The pitch was extremely heavy on Tuesday and it did sap a lot of energy out of the lads but we have got numbers within the squad and I have said to them that they are all going to be needed, between now and the end of the season."