Ridgewell recovery won't be rushed

Last updated : 21 October 2004 By Pancho Villa

The England Under-21 player returned for the reserves last week after almost three months on the sidelines with a knee injury suffered on the pre-season tour of Sweden.

He managed 70 minutes in the side’s 3-0 win against Newcastle but O'Leary believes he probably needs another half a dozen reserve games under his belt, before he is even considered for the first team.


With Martin Laursen also out, Villa have been forced to move Mark Delaney in from the right flank, but with the Welsh international’s tendency to slide in, the club’s fans would welcome a more natural player to the centre of defence.