Aston Villa defender Mark Delaney came through a reserve game on Tuesday night on his comeback trail from a knee injury which has kept him out of the start of the season.
The 29-year-old Wales international underwent minor surgery after injuring his knee during pre-season training.
However, David O'Leary's "Mr Dependable" managed 65 minutes against Blackburn Rovers reserves and could be back in contention for a first team start by the end of the month.