MIKE Whitlow is hoping to give Wanderers a welcome fitness boost after another high-speed comeback from injury.

The evergreen defender, famed for his powers of recovery, feared he could miss two months of the season after damaging the medial ligament in his right knee a fortnight ago.

But he was jogging again after a week and the six-to-eight weeks time scale has been revised.

"We're saying four to six weeks now," the 35-year-old centre-back confirmed.

Whitlow had just broken back into Wanderers' Premiership squad when he fell awkwardly in a private friendly against Crewe, which had been arranged by Sam Allardyce to get some of his fringe players match fit.

He was happy to stay behind when his team-mates flew to Dubai for warm-weather training and has thrown himself into his recovery programme with characteristic enthusiasm. Once again, the Wanderers' medical men are having to keep a tight rein on their most impatient of patients.

"At first I thought it was more serious than it was and I was back to being miserable again but it's settled down a treat," he said optimistically. "Anything between four and six weeks and I'll be dead chuffed but I'm sensible enough these days to know I've got to give it time to heal.

"I've learned to do as I'm told."