FOOTBALL: DEFENDER Chris Stokes has revealed he will not be ready for first team action until the end of January as he continues to recover from a recurring knee injury.
The 25-year-old has been out of action since picking up a serious knee injury in the match away at Blackpool back in March last season.
Stokes, who had appeared in every match that season prior to his injury, was out of action for the the remainder of campaign and further damage to his medial knee ligament last summer has delayed his first team comeback.
The defender made his long-awaited return from injury in a behind closed doors friendly for the club’s under-23s against Birmingham City at the beginning of the month and is back on the grass training with the first team.
Now Stokes, who signed a one-year contract extension last summer, is hoping to have put his injury nightmare behind him.
He said: “It was nice to be back playing again, it has been a long time since I’ve featured in a game and be able to kick the ball around.
“I have been on the edge of a ‘comeback’ a few times. I was training at the end of last season, and the beginning of this campaign but I was still having trouble with my knee flaring up so had to have the operation.
“I’m not really fully fit at the moment, so it’s about being sensible over the next few weeks.”
Stokes has had little time to impress new manager Russell Slade but his return will provide much-needed option in defence as injuries and suspensions begin to take their toll on the Sky Blues.
Stokes added: “With the new manager coming in I am just keen to get out there straight away and train again, but I sometimes have to hold myself back because I can get a bit over excited.
“If I do too much it can flare up a little bit and then I’ll have to come back in and suddenly it turns into a day in the gym rather than kicking a ball about.”
“It’s one of those things where I need to judge what I can and can’t do. That’s what I am working with the physio team for to try and make sure I return as quickly as possible.”