COLCHESTER United are likely to be without Brandon Comley for another fortnight as the midfielder remains sidelined due to a knee injury.

The Montserrat international has been missing for the last two months after suffering the injury in training and has not been available for the U’s since their game against Northampton Town, at the beginning of February.

Comley’s continued absence has been a setback for Colchester, who have been short of central midfield options over recent weeks.

Harry Pell is likely to miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury and Louis Dunne also remains sidelined, while Tom Lapslie has only recently returned from a hamstring problem and is still regaining his match fitness.

Colchester head coach John McGreal said: “Coms is going to be another couple of weeks.

“It’s been disappointing for us as well as him and it’s been a little bit longer to what we thought.

“It’s been disappointing not to have those options in midfield, because of injuries.

“But injuries happen in football and it’s part and parcel of the game.”

Writing in the matchday programme for the Oldham Athletic game, U’s head physio Tony Flynn said Comley could be available for first-team duty as soon as he has recovered from the injury.

Flynn said: “How close he is to a first team return will depend on how quickly he can do everything in training with the squad once his knee is fully recovered and how his fitness levels are once he is training.

“He is a diligent worker and I can’t see that being a problem for him though.

“It will probably be the case, like it was for Tom (Lapslie), that as soon as the injury itself is sorted, he could be available.”

Meanwhile, U’s boss McGreal admits his side must find some much-needed consistency if they are to clinch a League Two play-off place.

The U’s lie two points off the top seven with five games remaining and have not recorded back-to-back wins since early February.

“If you look at the way the team performed at Cambridge, everyone who played warranted the shirt,” said McGreal.

“That’s what we’ve been trying to do but we haven’t been able to do it back to back, which has been the problem of late.

“It’s about trying to find that consistency and people having that personality and if they make a mistake, so what?

“You get the ball and you make sure you get it again, making that second run.”