Starkie hoping to make Truro City return this season

Truro City's Ben Starkie is targeting a return from injury before the end of the season.

The 23-year-old attacking midfielder suffered a serious hamstring injury in a 1-0 loss at Brackley Town in September.

The Tanzania international tore two muscles and a tendon off his bone two minutes after coming on as a late substitute.

"My hope is to catch one or two games by the end of the season depending on the recovery," he told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"But right now it's just getting myself to the point where I can train with the squad and see how it goes from there.

"I've still got a long way to go and it's going to be tough, but I want to get playing as soon as possible if my hamstring allows it."

Starkie said he has been indebted to his colleagues at the National League side who have looked after him during his time on the sidelines.

The former Leicester City academy player joined the Tinners last summer after a successful trial and has just begun light training four months after he was first injured.

"It gets lonely when it's a long injury or a season-long injury," he said.

"Knowing that I've got good staff around me, my team-mates as well around me, they were a big help in the first couple of months where I couldn't really do much.

"I couldn't drive, so they were helping me get from A to B whenever I had to come in or go for a scan or stuff like that, they were there helping me out.

"Having a team around you like that is really, really important."

Starkie has been forced to watch from the stands as Truro dropped to the bottom of the National League.

But they have gone four games without defeat and are now third-from-bottom and four points from safety.

He is hopeful that his team-mates can continue that good form and survive at the end of their first season in the fifth tier.

"The frustrating thing about being injured is watching and feeling that you can make that difference on the pitch," Starkie said.

"We're in a good place, there's not much difference points-wise between us and I think it's 16th. It's only maybe like six or seven points which isn't a lot.

"Everyone in the team's going to fight for each other, everyone's going to fight for the badge and try and stay up.

"It's the first season the club's been in this league and I know everyone wants to stay up anyway, stay full-time and keep on pushing.

"I've got full confidence in the boys that they can get the job done."