Porter making rapid progress after hip operation

DERBY County manager Nigel Clough believes striker Chris Porter will make quick progress in his bid for full fitness now he is back training with the rest of the squad.

Porter is close to making a return to action after a lengthy absence with a hip problem that needed surgery.

He has not featured for the first team since March and was an unused substitute for the Derby's reserves this week.

The next reserve fixture is against West Bromwich Albion on December 9 but there could be a game behind closed doors at Moor Farm next week to give him a run-out.

"Chatting to him, he feels that after the weekend he will be ready for a game so we might have a match for him. It might be internally between ourselves on Tuesday or Wednesday when he can play half an hour or so," said Clough.

"Practice matches are not far off what he is doing in training.

"He looked sharper in training on Wednesday morning than he did on Monday. We think now he has joined in fully with the lads he will come on leaps and bounds.

"There can be a psychological barrier to overcome when you have been out injured so long.

"When Dean Leacock was on his way back, I think we saw he was quite cautious when he first started playing, Paul Green the same.

"Getting players back into it is also about getting that belief back so they think 'yes, I'm OK, I can play without feeling the injury'."

Porter is not in the squad for today's home game against Reading but he will warm up on the Pride Park pitch with the rest of the players before the game.

"It will be good for the fans to see he is coming on and close to a return to action," said Clough.