Brentford defenders Ryan Dickson and Mark Phillips face a race against time to be fit to play any part in the rest of the season.

Phillips, who has a persistent knee problem, has not featured since limping out of last week’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion, while Dickson was forced out of Tuesday’s 3-3 draw at Colchester United.

The former Plymouth Albion left back, who has also been carrying a knee injury, has been one of Brentford’s stars this season and is expected to quit Griffin Park in the summer.

But boss Andy Scott is in no mood to rush the pair back, despite being short of staff at the back for the League One run-in.

“Dicko and Mark Phillips have both been for scans. Mark still has swelling on his knee and Dicko hopefully could be back in four to six weeks,” he said.

“I’d like to think we’ll see him back, but it is very difficult to come back from hamstring injuries and you can’t rush it.

“With Mark’s knee it has flared up a few times since he’s been with us and we just need to manage it. We don’t want to rush him back and put him back in his rehab.”

Youngster Karleigh Osborne has performed well in the absence of suspended centre-back Alan Bennett although Scott has made no secret of his desire to bring in fresh blood - potentially in the form of Ipswich Town’s Pim Balkestein.

“We’re still talking to Ipswich, but it doesn’t look like it is going to happen - certainly before Thursday,” he added.

“We are wary if we get more injuries we will be light on numbers and we keep looking at different options, but the lads who are playing and those who aren’t are more than capable of producing those kinds of performances.”

Brentford let a 2-0 lead - through goals from David Hunt and Leon Legge - at Colchester on Tuesday, before Charlie MacDonald celebrated signing a new contract by giving his side a 3-2 advantage only to see United level late on through David Prutton.

But Scott admitted he was satisfied with a point.

He said: “I think it is a good point at the end, but clearly when you are leading three times it is disappointing not to come away with all three.

“We have played a hell of a lot of games in a short space of time, we’ve got a few injuries, people carrying knocks and we gave it a right good go.

“I’m proud of the boys and they way they worked. We’ve taken four points off Colchester and they are in the hunt for promotion. That shows the commitment of the boys and their determination to go and get the points.”