Tom Lapslie is battling to be fit for Colchester United’s vital game with Barnsley this afternoon.

The midfielder limped off in the closing stages of the U’s 2-1 win at Port Vale, last Friday and is a doubt for the Tykes clash.

It was Lapslie’s first start for six weeks following an ankle injury and Colchester manager Tony Humes says they will assess the youngster’s fitness, ahead of today’s match.

Humes said: “It’s just something we’ll have to manage and see how he is.

“Tom’s OK – he hasn’t played for a few weeks and it was a heavy pitch.

“He got through it and we took him off because there was a bit of tiredness and he was also on a yellow card.

“We had it with Matty Briggs against Gillingham and we just wanted to make sure that we had 11 men on the field.

“It also gave him a bit of extra time to recover for Monday’s game and bringing Sammie Szmodics on wasn’t a bad thing, with his energy.

“Tom's a fit boy and a strong character so I don’t think he’ll be overly concerned.”

Colchester skipper David Fox is unlikely to be fit after missing the Port Vale win with a toe injury.

Humes said: “We don’t want to rule David out for the rest of the season by doing something too early.

“I’d rather him play the last five or six games than play the last 15 minutes and have to come off so we just want to manage the situation.

“David is an experienced pro and he’ll know whether it’s right or wrong to do it.”

Matt Briggs is available again after suspension while Richard Brindley is set to make his home debut.

For a full preview of the U's game with Barnsley plus pictures, analysis and reaction from their game against Port Vale, see Monday's Daily Gazette.