Boss Joe Royle is confident that keeper Lewis Price will be fit to take his place in the Town goal when the Blues take on Reading at the Madejski Stadium on Sunday (Sky Sports One, KO 1.30pm). Price hurt first his hip and then his fingers while away with the Wales squad.

Royle said: "Lewis was injured, then he wasn't injured, now he's slightly injured but he'll be fit. Apparently, in the dying seconds of training with Wales, he jarred his fingers. The Welsh were slightly slow in letting us know but it's a thing that goalkeepers do all the time and we expect him to be fit.

"He's trained normally while he's been with Wales. He had a sore hip which he has here occasionally. We've given him a special pair of pants that he wears but he didn't have them with Wales and it got a bit sore.

"We expect him to be fine but he did have his fingers knocked back in training on Tuesday."

Town's other injury worry is Jimmy Juan who hurt an ankle in the reserves on Monday but is expected to be OK.

Royle's main selection dilemma is whether to give Nicky Forster a start against his old club after his recovery from his cartilage operation in August. Forster scored a hat-trick for the reserves against Southampton on Monday but is still short of match fitness.

Fellow frontman Sam Parkin is OK after the back problem which forced him off at half-time in the game against Crewe a fortnight ago. If Forster is on the bench, Dean Bowditch will continue alongside the former Swindon man. Royle has ruled out playing Richard Naylor up front despite his impressive display in his former position in the second half against the Railwaymen.

The Town manager is yet to decide whether to take new loan signing Adam Proudlock to the Madejski Stadium. Royle will discuss the matter with fitness coach Simon Thadani before making a decision. The ex-Sheffield Wednesday man has impressed in training: "He's doing very well, his fitness is better than we thought and he's certainly got pace."

Midfielder Ian Westlake is back in training after his ankle injury and is making good progress and is ahead of schedule but is still a month or more away from a return.

Royle says his squad is now looking more healthy after an early season blighted by injuries: "We're just about as strong as we've seen this season in terms of bodies available. We've seen how much we've missed Nicky and that's the big decision; whether we risk him from the beginning in a game we know he's going to be pumped up for."

The Town boss has been impressed with old Liverpool schoolmate Steve Coppell's side this season: "I'm not surprised at Reading's progress, they're probably a bit stronger than they were last year. They've signed Leroy Lita and he scores goals and I expect them to be there for most of the season."

The Royals could have Dave Kitson, Nicky Shorey, Graeme Murty and Steve Sidwell back in their squad for Sunday. Kitson and Shorey came through a reserve game at Colchester on Wednesday and, along with Murty, could start. Sidwell is very unlikely to be in the XI after missing six weeks with a knee injury but may be on the bench.

Sunday's referee is Steve Tanner from Somerset who has shown 32 yellow and three red cards in nine games this season. In his third season as a Football League official, Tanner has not previously taken control of a Town game.

Squad: Bowditch, Currie, De Vos, Forster, Garvan, Horlock, Juan, Magilton, McEveley, Naylor, Parkin, Price, Proudlock, Richards, Sito, Supple, Wilnis.

Photo: Action Images

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