Southend United vs Colchester United - Michael Timlin suspended for Southend

Southend will be without suspended midfielder Michael Timlin for the visit of Essex rivals Colchester.

Timlin was sent off after collecting two yellow cards during the Shrimpers' win over Shrewsbury on Tuesday night, within 15 minutes of having come on as a substitute.

Midfielder Gary Deegan returns from his one-match ban, while on-loan Shrews forward Tyrone Barnett is also available for selection having been ineligible against his parent club.

Winger Stephen McLaughlin and left-back Ben Coker have returned to training following ankle and abdominal injuries respectively, but neither are expected to be ready for this weekend's derby, while defender John White (calf) and midfielder Myles Weston (foot) are still sidelined.

Colchester will be without centre-half Alex Wynter, who suffered a head injury in the FA Cup fourth-round defeat against Tottenham.

Tom Eastman was also involved in the collision but he has been able to resume training this week, although he remains a doubt for Saturday's match so Matthew Briggs is on stand-by to fill in. Youngster Frankie Kent and veteran George Elokobi are other defensive options for manager Kevin Keen, whose side remain bottom of the table

Striker Marvin Sordell has been ruled out of up to three weeks with an ankle injury. Elliot Lee, on loan from West Ham, and Macauley Bonne are in contention to partner captain Chris Porter in attack.

Midfielder Tom Lapslie is still nursing a muscle problem, while Sammie Szmodics (foot) is also not yet fit.