Blues boss Jimmy Cooper might be concerned over the loss of injured striker Michael Charles, but the man himself thinks Met Police have a ready-made replacement.

The 27-year-old hitman struck a double in Saturday’s abandoned clash at Witham Town, before being stretchered off with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

Charles will be sidelined for a minimum of nine months, leaving Cooper scrambling to sign a replacement ahead of this Saturday’s FA Trophy visit of Dulwich Hamlet.

But the former Farnborough, Poole Town, AFC Totton and Winchester striker reckons the Imber Court chief could do worse than look closer to home.

And it could be enough to keep the club on course for a place in the Ryman Premier League play-offs.

“My role in the team was not particularly complicated. I just had to make sure I was getting on the end of the crosses that the likes of Charlie Collins fired in,” he said.

“They still have Charlie and Bradley Hudson-Odoi and I think young Jack Knight can be a force too.

“It is just a case making sure of being in the right place at the right time and he has the potential to do that.”

He added: “The squad has got the skill and quality to keep this start to the season up. I think they will be fine without me.”

But Cooper was not so sure.

“Michael, I think, had just about become one of the best finishers we have seen at the club,” he said.

“It is a big blow for us and him. I’m already speaking to a couple of pro clubs to see if we can bring someone in for the Trophy game.”

Charles’ only other serious injury prior to the weekend had been a medial ligament injury in the same knee.

And the Camberley-based frontman is hoping surgery this time will see him back in action as good as new.

“It is a long road to recovery. You’ve got to have the right mentality to get there, but I will be back scoring goals,” added Charles, who is insured for loss of earnings through former Kingstonian defender Francis Duku’s Amateur and Semi Professional Sportsperson Union and Our Game organisations.

“If Saturday’s goals had counted and I had not have got injured I would have 13 goals this season well before Christmas.

“I don’t usually start seasons that well either and I think I would have been well on the way to having a great season.”

He added: “I did my medial ligament a few years ago and was probably going to need to have that cleaned up anyway, so they can probably do both things at the same time.

“It is a shame, but I have got good people around me and I think I can come back even better than before.”