Defender Indy Khela will begin his eagerly-anticipated AFC Telford United comeback tonight with a cameo appearance in the reserve team clash with Kidderminster Harriers.
The 24-year-old has been pencilled in to come on as a second half substitute with Telford set to field a strong side in the game at the New Bucks Head (7.45pm).
And that will be a big moment for the popular centre-back, who had been ruled out for the season at one stage after suffering a stress fracture of the shin back in November.
“The physios have given Indy the go-ahead and he will play part of the game,” said assistant manager Larry Chambers.”He’ll only come on for the last 30 or 40 minutes, but it’s still great news.
“He trained well on Tuesday and he’s looking good. He doesn’t run before he can walk, but the fact that we can get him on a football pitch is great.
“The consultants were saying it would be the first week of April before he could start playing.
“He’s still a way off before he’s fit to start for the first team but we didn’t expect him to be able to play any sort of football for two or three weeks, so he’s ahead of schedule in that respect.”
Bucks boss Rob Smith has also made defenders Richard Teesdale, Asa Charlton and Elliott Durrell available to reserve team chief Darren Reid, along with midfielder Steve Jagielka and strikers Justin Marsden and Luke Reynolds.
Recent signing Michael Husbands will join Khela in getting a run-out during the second half.
It goes against Smith’s recent policy of not risking first teamers in the reserves, but he admitted: “We’re coming up to a busy time now and I think I’m going to need everyone to be at their absolute peak.
“Some of these players are in with a chance of playing on Saturday (at Gainsborough) and I need to keep them ticking over.”
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