BARRY ASHBY’S injury agony continued today as the Gillingham centre-back faced a further two to three weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

Ashby, 32, who once enjoyed long, injury-free runs in the side, has seen his stop-start season punctuated by persistent problems which have curtailed his appearances.

He lasted 25 minutes of Tuesday’s home game against Wimbledon before breaking down to be replaced by Leon Johnson who will play alongside Chris Hope at home to Rotherham on Saturday.

Ashby, one of the club’s most consistent performers, is certainly out of Saturday match and Tuesday’s against his old club Watford.

Player-manager Andy Hessenthaler is hoping that striker Tommy Johnson will have recovered from flu, which kept him out of Tuesday’s game, in time for inclusion in Saturday’s squad.

But with fellow striker Guy Ipoua having recovered from chicken pox, the manager’s selection options up front have improved.