Southend hope to welcome Johnny Herd back into a depleted defence for their League One game against MK Dons at Roots Hall on Friday night.

The young full-back missed last weekend's defeat at Yeovil with a hamstring injury and feared he was set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

But the injury was not as bad as first feared and although Herd is eager to avoid returning prematurely, he is hopeful of facing Paul Ince's promotion-hopefuls.

His return would be a major boost for the Shrimpers, with new loan signing Sean Morrison serving a one-match ban after being sent-off against the Glovers on his debut.

Fellow loanee Jean-Yves M'voto is still sidelined after undergoing a hip operation, while Osei Sankofa (knee) is also missing from Southend's defence.

If Herd is ruled out, Simon Francis and Adam Barrett will be the only defenders available to manager Steve Tilson, so Jean-Francois Christophe and Anthony Grant will have to play at the back once again.