FORGOTTEN man Lee Briscoe is just weeks away from returning to action on the training field at least, North End confirmed this week.

The left-sided midfielder, who opted for a move to Deepdale instead of staying on at Burnley in the summer, has been battling with a hamstring injury which ultimatley required surgery.

Since signing for Craig Brown, Briscoe has appeared just once in pre-season for North End, but a return to the fray is imminent, according to club physio Andrew Balderston.

He says that Briscoe is finally getting towards joining regular training and added: "Within the next couple of weeks, he should be off my list and on the one for choosing players, which is excellent news.

A return to action for Briscoe, on a one year deal at Deepdale, who help provide extra options for North End on the left. Rob Edwards has just returned from injury as well, while Eddie Lewis, performance on the flank against West Brom should ensure he remains first choice for the wing-back position.

It's been a rocky week overall for Preston on the injury front. Skipper Chris Lucketti's broken toe could keep him out of action again this weekend, when Preston travel to Watford. He missed the game at the weekend.

Claude Davis should also be fit again for this weekend, despite suffering tendonitis earlier in the week in training.

And Dickson Etuhu, who has scored twice recently, will be out until at least the end of the month after suffering ligament damage in his ankle early in Saturday's 3-0 win. He was stretchered off the pitch in the second minute and it was initally feared he had broken his leg.

David Lucas, permanent move to Sheffield Wednesday - as reported on www.thisislancashire.co.uk late last week - has hit the buffers after he injured his knee while playing for the Owls at the weekend.

He has had a scan on the knee and will be out for up to a month. It is not known if Second Division Wednesday will make a fresh bid for him then - but he faces a battle to even get a place on the bench after Andrew Lonergan put in a confident performance deputising for injured Jonathan Gould at the weekend.

Gould should be back between the posts this weekend, though.

Brown said: "What the weekend,s game showed was that, despite having six players out of action, regular first team players like Lucketti, O'Neil,Gould, Davis and Koumantarkis, we still played very well and won.

"We have strength in depth and have proved that now. We're in with a chance now, but so are a lot of teams. We have to keep winning.