It had been feared the 29-year-old injured knee ligaments against the Robins and could be out of action for some time. But following a scan on Monday, Southern has been informed he is unlikely to need surgery and that he will return sooner rather than later. Southern will now wear a protective brace in the coming weeks and he is hopeful of playing again inside two months' time. "I had a scan (on Monday) and I was fearing the worst, not only my medial ligament but my cruciate ligament as well," he told the club's official website. "I had a bit of good news last night and it's neither, I've torn a muscle, or a retinaculum, that attaches to the knee cap so I'm still going to be out a little while. "The scan was really reassuring and hopefully I'll see a knee specialist this week and he'll be able to advise me. "Early indications are that I probably won't need surgery, he'll just put me in a knee brace for a certain number of weeks and I'll be back sooner rather than later. "I'm very hopeful that I'll be back in the next couple of months."
