The 28-year-old left back, signed on a Bosman free transfer from Birmingham City in the summer, is back in full training and pressing for a return at Grimsby on Tuesday.

He had been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury just ten minutes into the 2-0 win at West Brom on the second Saturday of the season.

His return to fitness is good news for Sam Allardyce, whose squad has been ravaged by injury in the early weeks of the season, but came just too late for Charlton to figure in today's game at Huddersfield, one of his former clubs.

One player surprisingly in contention for the game at the McAlpine Stadium was Mark Fish.

Thought to be out for up to ten weeks after hurting his ankle in the Worthington Cup defeat at Macclesfield on Tuesday night, fears over the South African defender eased when the time scale was revived to just "one or two games."

But Fish has made such a rapid recovery that the manager wasn't ruling out an instant return this morning.

"I'm going to leave it up to Mark himself," he said. "But if he is not fit for Huddersfield he will definitely be available for Grimsby."