Striker James Norwood is set to be out of action for at least six weeks after tearing a hamstring in training earlier in the week.

The injury is a further blow to Norwood, who spent much of last season struggling with groin problems which required him to undergo surgery twice.

The 30-year-old has only fleetingly played a part in the opening weeks of this campaign - one start, four sub appearances - having spent most of pre-season rehabilitating from his most recent operation in February.

"It’s not as bad as first feared but the scans have shown that Nors is likely to be out for six weeks at a minimum," Town's general manager of football operations Lee O'Neill told the club site.

Norwood’s latest injury leaves the Blues short on strikers with Kayden Jackson not yet fully fit after the groin problem he suffered in training and Aaron Drinan sidelined until mid-November with a thigh issue.

Oli Hawkins impressed when making his full league debut as the cenral striker in the 2-0 victory over Rochdale at the weekend, while youngster Ben Folami is likely to come into the reckoning for a place on the bench given the lack of other fit options.

Manager Paul Lambert could weigh-up whether to make a signing as cover but the Blues are significantly hampered in their ability to make additions by the salary cap and he may in any case believe he has enough options already at his disposal with Freddie Sears also able to play down the middle.

The international transfer window closes on Monday, but clubs are able to complete domestic transfers until Friday 16th October.

News that Norwood had suffered another injury first emerged last night when he was photographed by a fan with crutches in a Stowmarket restaurant with the striker making his displeasure at having been surreptitiously snapped clear.

Photo: Matchday Images

shouldistayorcounago added 09:57 - Oct 1 Absolutely gutted for him. I really do worry for his mental health actually. He seems to me to be a player that thrives off the adrenaline of playing and getting the fans either on side or against him. I don't think this period of injury has been easy for him, and some of the comments made on here and Twitter have been harsh at times. I really hope he makes a good recovery and we see him again soon, I do believe he has more to offer us than we've seen so far.

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irishtim added 09:58 - Oct 1 Sorry to say but i think he won't play for us again. A liability and i would get rid when fit.
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irishtim added 09:58 - Oct 1 Sorry to say but i think he won't play for us again. A liability and i would get rid when fit.
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BlueArrow added 10:05 - Oct 1 Taxi 🚕
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dirtydingusmagee added 10:06 - Oct 1 over rated problem.
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dirtydingusmagee added 10:08 - Oct 1 i said from start he would not last long, we would be better off without him ,
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oldbri added 10:12 - Oct 1 Irishtim , you can say that again.
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oldbri added 10:13 - Oct 1 Get well soon Nors and calm down, its the price of fame.
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StringerBell added 10:14 - Oct 1 If he's shifted some timber before the season started and got his head out of his backside maybe he'd have been fully fit and firing and wouldn't be prone to breaking down. The bloke's a clown who flatters to deceive. We definitely need someone in. If Lambert thinks Sears is the answer then he's not learnt anything.
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Nobbysnuts added 10:18 - Oct 1 Unfortunately Norwood is just a liability. Its no good having someone with potential who's always injured and he's not getting any younger.
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NthQldITFC added 10:20 - Oct 1 Chin up James, be great to see you back firing on all cylinders before Christmas. Good lad.
15

Linkboy13 added 10:23 - Oct 1 I said last season this blokes a disruptive influence and a clown and this season will be exactly the same more injuries and too much going on off the pitch.
0

TimmyH added 10:25 - Oct 1 Another sicknote!
4

Bergholt_Blue added 10:29 - Oct 1 Surely there is something wrong with our medical team? So many injuries!
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algarvefan added 10:30 - Oct 1 Reminds me of Gascoigne, not a good thing.
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Suffolkboy added 10:33 - Oct 1 What a shame ; he undoubtedly needs to re-orient his attitude , emotional outlook and his lines of thought both on and off the field .Much greater personal disciplines would reap all round benefit ,but being or playing ‘Jack the lad ‘ is not helpful especially at his age when physical speed generally starts to decline ,and though stamina can be peaking , the acquired ability of experience and knowledge can outweigh the relative weakness and enable a real contribution to continue – and in his case to lead the line usefully and score goals . It's not good to read of his apparent reaction to being spotted ; shows immaturity . Come on James and COYB

1

Len_Brennan added 10:36 - Oct 1 He's been a huge disappointment for us, but there's definitely a striker in there, who is by far the best finisher we have when he is fit & his head is in the right place. I like Hawkins & he plays the role of centre forward in our current 4-3-3 system really well (given the limited time we've seen of him there) in term of hold up play & lay offs for the wide forwards & advanced midfielders. But, we will still need a striker to get the goals out of nowhere, through sheer instinct & determination, when we really need them in tight, tough games against promotion rivals and side that park the bus to disrupt our play. Drinan has done a good job this season, but is similar to Hawkins, Freddie is not a centre forward in that one up front role, he plays off such a striker & Jackson is more a pacey coming onto the ball type player - although that at least will allow us a change in tactics & style if we need to switch it. Again, he's not a prolific striker. As I say, Norwood has been a disappointment in terms of his overall goals last season, his attitude, his priorities (social media), but we should not lose sight of how important it is to have a player like that in our match day squad.

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Esseeja added 10:37 - Oct 1 I feel so bad for him as much as I do anyone who gets injured here but we need to question why we keep getting so many injuries, it's ridiculous and there is no way it's individual luck at this point.
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Esseeja added 10:37 - Oct 1 I feel so bad for him as much as I do anyone who gets injured here but we need to question why we keep getting so many injuries, it's ridiculous and there is no way it's individual luck at this point.
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Esseeja added 10:37 - Oct 1 I feel so bad for him as much as I do anyone who gets injured here but we need to question why we keep getting so many injuries, it's ridiculous and there is no way it's individual luck at this point.
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Esseeja added 10:37 - Oct 1 I feel so bad for him as much as I do anyone who gets injured here but we need to question why we keep getting so many injuries, it's ridiculous and there is no way it's individual luck at this point.
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Esseeja added 10:38 - Oct 1 Why did the website post my comment 4 times lol
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Esseeja added 10:38 - Oct 1 Why did the website post my comment 4 times lol
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ArnieM added 10:40 - Oct 1 This club is a bloody joke with its injury record and nature of injuries sustained. Don't give me this Covid excuse neither. Its down to strengthening / training regimes used by the club. This has bene going on for years now . Another review is required of internal systems deployed.
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ArnieM added 10:48 - Oct 1 I would add that Hamstring strengthening would be integral to Groin and core stability rehab. Just WTF are they doing at this club. These players cost the Club a lot of money and need to be fit to play. rant over until the next injury
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