OXFORD City have been hit with the news that skipper Lee Henderson could be out for two months after his leg injury was confirmed as a fractured tibia.

Henderson hobbled off during the 2-1 win at Chelmsford in Vanarama National League South last month, and although it had been hoped the injury was relatively minor, an X-ray on Tuesday confirmed a clean fracture of the right tibia.

Although not a major break, boss Mark Jones admits it’s a massive blow for Henderson and for the club.

“Lee wasn’t responding to any treatment, and we were starting to get worried that he wasn’t improving,” he said.

“We sent him for an X-ray in midweek and it was a confirmed fracture. He doesn’t have to be put in a cast, but has got to be careful of weight-bearing, and he’s going to be out for some time.

“It’s very disappointing for Lee. He’s had a lot of bad luck with injuries this season. It’s also a big blow for us as we will need to look around for some cover defensively.”

Henderson is likely to be sidelined until at least February, while City have had another injury blow as Freddie Grant will also miss tomorrow’s trip to St Albans City with an ankle problem.

Grant picked up the knock in last week’s heart-breaking Emirates FA Cup defeat at Notts County, and mis-sed the midweek win against Truro.

Jones added: “It’s not a bad injury for Freddie, but he’s not quite right and won’t be ready for Saturday.

“Obviously this has left us defensively a bit short. Mo (Fofana) and Dave Pearce have done well as cover, but realistically we need to bring someone in.”

Jones has drafted in 17-year-old defender Udoka Godwin-Malife from the Nomads, a player whom he rates highly.

“Udoka is a young lad with big potential,” he said.

“We have to be careful about throwing him straight into National League South, but he’s definitely one for the future.”

Meanwhile, City’s boss was delighted with his side’s performance in beating Truro City 3-1 in midweek after the desolation of the Notts County game.

“It was a terrific performance,” he said. “It was probably one of our best footballing displays of the season. It was great to get straight back out there and not dwell on the huge disappointment of the cup game.

“We’re on a great run, and our league form has really picked up, so hopefully we can continue to look upwards now.

“St Albans are a side up there chasing promotion, so we know it will be another massive game for us.

“They have some very capable players and we lost to them on the opening day. We just need to concentrate on our own performance and continue to do the right things.”

Oxford City (v St Albans City, away): from Stevens, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Poku, Oastler, McEachran, Fofana, Sinclair, Paterson, Hirst, Pearce, Tutton, Forde, Navarro, Godwin-Malife, Sanders.