Steve Harper could be back in first-team contention by the end of the month.
Harper played for the club's reserves in a specially-arranged indoor friendly against Middlesbrough yesterday, and he saved a penalty in a 7-1 win.
The goalscorers were Jeff Henderson (2), Ryan Donaldson, Patrick McLaughlin, Sammy Ameobi and Joan Edmundsson, with Boro also scoring an own goal.
Harper: "It blew the cobwebs away.
"It's very good of them to arrange a game that fits in with the timescale of me coming back, and I enjoyed it.
"Their attitude was excellent against a young Middlesbrough side, and it's just good to be back after 11 weeks.
"It's 11 weeks (yesterday). I wasn't allowed to play before 11 weeks, so we've taken the first chance, and I really enjoyed it.
"I made a couple of saves, and it's been a while since I saved a penalty, so maybe I should have had three months out more often! It was good, I made a few saves, caught a few crosses, and it was a good workout.
"He tried to kid me with a straight run up on the penalty, but I've probably got 20 years on him, so I've seen that before!
"It's the first time I've seen some of the young lads, and their attitude was first class.
"You can see, under Peter and Steve, they really play football. They made good use of the ball, and scored some cracking goals."
