Colchester United boss Danny Cowley on Samson Tovide injury

COLCHESTER United striker Samson Tovide is set to be absent for a number of weeks due to a hip injury.

The 20-year-old is due to undergo a scan after suffering the injury in the U’s defeat to Cheltenham Town last weekend but is set to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Tovide had previously started every League Two game for Colchester this season, prior to being ruled out for their 1-1 draw at Chesterfield, on Tuesday night.

READ MORE: Colchester-based winger earns an international call-up

Colchester boss Danny Cowley said: “Samson is going to be a loss.

“He’ll have a scan and we’ll have to wait and see how long it takes for him to recover.

“He won’t be available to us in the foreseeable which is tough, of course.

“It’s funny, because when we first arrived we didn’t have Samson because of his ankle injury but when you’ve haven’t had someone, you don’t really miss them because you don’t know what they can actually give you but now we have, there’s no hiding place.

“We know what he can give us – the power, the character, the personality that he plays with.

(Image: RICHARD BLAXALL)

“These next few weeks without Sams is going to provide some challenges but this for me is exciting and you’re trying to fix the problem.

“We’ll miss him but it’s up to us as a group to come together and try to find another way and we’ll be working hard to try to do that.

“In these moments, when it is difficult and you do have injuries, you have to come together as a group and as a football club and fight for everything.

“On Saturday, we’re going to need everyone and particularly our supporters to be right with us because the boys went to the well on Tuesday and they’re going to have to go back to the well, on Saturday.”

READ MORE: Colchester boss Danny Cowley reveals 'honest' player chat

Tovide is one of a trio of attacking players currently sidelined for Colchester.

Owura Edwards and Anthony Scully (knee) are also nursing injuries and are unlikely to be available for this weekend’s home clash with Salford City, at the JobServe Community Stadium.

Midfielder Teddy Bishop is also still unavailable but could return for the U’s FA Cup first-round clash with Swindon Town, next Saturday.

(Image: STEVE BRADING)

“I always feel that being a football manager is like being a fire fighter,” added Cowley.

“You put one fire out and then another one starts!

“Every day it’s always ‘where are the fires and where can potential fires start’ and make sure you get your hose and just keep tackling what’s in front of you and keep trying to move, from fire to fire without losing enthusiasm.”