PORTLAND skipper Lewis Whyton is targeting a return to action within six to eight weeks after it was revealed he went under the knife last week.

The island skipper, who was on the cancellation list to have keyhole surgery on his knee, was asked to come in early for the procedure and is now on the road to recovery.

And although Whyton admitted he is going to be frustrated by a lack of game time over the next couple of months, he is now hopeful of having a say at the business end of the Blues’ Sydenhams Wessex One title challenge.

Whyton, who was hoping to come off his crutches at the weekend, told Echosport: “I’m a bit gutted to be honest because I miss a busy February and March.

“If I can get back in six weeks I will but I don’t want to make it worse. I am hoping to play at the end of the season but we have to see how it recovers.

“I have been given stretches to do and things like that. I want to do some swimming but I have to wait first.

“I am frustrated because I very rarely have a bad injury. This isn’t a bad one but it’s annoying because I had to have it done.

“I would normally be very surprised if I miss more than two games per season.”

And while his own contribution on the field will be missed by the island outfit for the immediate future, Whyton admitted he would be “annoyed” if his side didn’t go on to claim the league title.

He added: “We have a good cushion and now we have Charlie Holland back it bolsters the squad as well.

“I would be annoyed if we don’t win the league now, not just because I’m not playing, because we have done so much throughout the season to put ourselves in a good position — we’d have to slip up.”

Speaking about the loss of his captain, Blues’ boss Gary Bailey added: “He is on the road to recovery now.

“We won’t rush him. It was a case where we knew he had to have it and it had come a bit earlier than we both thought it was going to happen.

“He is a fit lad and he will heal well, hopefully it will be the short end of six to eight weeks and he will be able to finish the season with us.

“You don’t want to lose your captain at any stage of the season but we knew it was happening.”

Portland’s home encounter with Alton Town was postponed due a waterlogged pitch on Saturday.

Fellow title-chasers Amesbury Town also saw their respective game called off due to the wet weekend weather.