JOEY O'Brien is poised to make a playing return for Wanderers NINE years since his last competitive outing for the club.

The 31-year-old Irishman has trained with Phil Parkinson's first team over the last fortnight and could be offered a permanent deal if he proves his fitness.

O'Brien has agreed to play for the Under-23s against Bristol City at Leyland tonight and has impressed the Wanderers boss since returning to the club.

“Joey has had two weeks training with us now and he’s going to play some of the Under-23s game," Parkinson confirmed at his press conference yesterday.

“He has got to dip his toe back into the water, so to speak, get out there and play.

“He has trained very well. He has had a long time out injured but he’s played at a very high level and he’s looked good since he came in."

O'Brien left Wanderers in 2011 after two serious knee injuries had restricted him to just 70 appearances spread over seven seasons.

He bounced back, however, in the colours of tomorrow night’s Carabao Cup opponents West Ham and featured another 105 times in all competitions, helping them back into the Premier League under Sam Allardyce.

He last featured for Wanderers in October 2008 in a 0-0 draw with Blackburn Rovers and has been looking for a new club since last summer.