Town striker Richard Naylor says he is a matter of days away from being in the running for a first team place. Naylor, who is yet to make a full appearance this season, played 83 minutes for the reserves last night, his first match action since his knee operation.

The striker told the club site that he came through the reserve match at Nottingham Forest without a problem: "There has been no reaction to playing and although the knee isn't perfect yet, I certainly feel as though I am getting somewhere.

"I would say it's at 90 per cent now and it should be days rather than weeks before I am back to full fitness.

"It's case now of working hard in training and playing in a few more reserve games and then hopefully pushing on and staking my claim for a place in the first-team set-up."

Naylor has had a history of knee problems and he says that this latest injury was aggravated by his back. From now on he will has extra stretching exercises in order ease tension in his lower back.

The striker spent two spells on loan last season, at Millwall and Barnsley, and a number of clubs showed interest in him. His last Town goal came in the Derby home match in August of last season.

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