Matt Worthington made a return from injury on Friday as he turned out for the under-21s in a friendly match away at Southampton.
The midfielder, who signed a new contract with the club recently, played the opening 45 minutes in the 1-0 loss at the Saints’ training ground, and told afcb.co.uk after the match that he had come through the test unscathed.
“It felt great to be back out there,” he said. “It’s felt like a long time since January but it’s good to get out with the lads and I think we did alright.
“It was a tough game on a tough pitch, the surface wasn’t great, but we did okay. There’s a bit of rustiness there for me, I’m a bit tired but I’m all good.”
Worthington spent the first half of the season on loan with League Two side Yeovil Town, suffering his ankle injury upon his return to Vitality Stadium.
He said: “I did the ligaments in my ankle so I had a lot of rehab to do and a lot of downtime at the start. I saw a lot of specialists and we worked out what the best plan was and we chose the option of not having an operation.
“It’s worked out really well and I’m very happy with how it is now and I’m thankful to all the staff who have helped me get this far.
“I want to get back fully fit so I can come back raring to go in pre-season, get a couple more games and get back into training with the first team.
“They’re trying to sort out some more friendlies for the under-21s in the next few weeks, that will help me with getting my fitness back.”
