Manager Roy Keane says Luciano Civelli and Damien Delaney are medically fine but now need to step up their performances in the reserves. Civelli has been out for 18 months after suffering a mult-ligament knee injury, while Delaney injured a thigh in pre-season.

Keane says the pair are still a fair way off first team form: “Medically, Luca and Damian are doing well, football-wise they can do better.

“There comes a time when you say ‘listen, your body’s physically fine, now you have to get up to speed’. But if we have to patient with anybody, it has to be Luca because he’s been out for so long.”

Civelli had a quiet game as the reserves lost 3-1 to Colchester on Wednesday, but Keane says his team-mates were partly responsible for that: “The players around him didn’t help him, didn’t give him good service.

“Sometimes you need a helping hand when you come back from injury and a good team will do that. They’ll drag lads who have been out for two or three months along, never mind those who have been out for 18.

“I’m not expecting him to come into the reserves and dominate games, far from it. The other boys have got to look at themselves.”

Keane says the Blues are likely to arrange one or two friendlies in the weeks to come with the next league reserve game at Southend not until October 12th, while Delaney and Civelli will also be involved in the regular training matches at Playford Road.

Photo: Action Images

SouperJim added 09:16 - Sep 17 Any chance of getting rid of this bupa advert that keeps covering up half a line of every news story?
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SWGF added 09:17 - Sep 17 Get Civelli on the bench, give him 10mins at the end of a match. Give him a taste of 1st team football atmosphere again and he'll soon be back firing. That's my cod psychology anyway. The photocopied diploma on my wall backs me up.
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PhilTWTD added 09:28 - Sep 17 SouperJim Not seen it myself, but if I do I'll get it sorted.
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Martus added 10:57 - Sep 17 So u think the best thing to do for someone who has been out for 18 months is to put him straight in too the full side for 10 mins at the end of each game? WTF? How stupid is that? He needs time to get bak to fitness and improve his overall performances he hasnt been playing for 18 months!
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sotd78 added 12:46 - Sep 17 Putting the injured players who are now fully fit onto the bench and then giving them 5 minutes at the end is precisely the way. A warm welcome back; fans encouraging (or not) and you soon see who really wants to play again. Playing reserves or practice with no crowd is not the way.
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dude added 13:04 - Sep 17 phil, while you're at it, any chance of killing the ad that shouts youve won everytime I come here? I didnt appreciate the irony on tuesday.
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Back_The_Boss added 13:37 - Sep 17 Good to have them both back. Big game saturday, COYB!
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