It's been a long wait, but oft-injured Charlton Athletic defender Cory Gibbs may finally be about to make his long awaited Charlton debut.

The last couple of years have not been kind to Gibbs. He originally damaged his right knee in a friendly against England in May 2005 and had only been back for four months when he was struck down again, almost exactly a year later, in an equally meaningless pre-World Cup 2006 match against Morocco.

Now approaching full fitness after a lengthy rehabilitation, the Florida-born stopper hopes to resurrect a career, which has so far brought him 19 international appearances.

"I have played a couple of (reserve) games and I want to get a couple more in," he told American Soccer Daily. "I think they'll schedule a couple of friendlies to get me back in and I should be back in first team action relatively soon."

After such a long lay-off, one might forgive Gibbs for being eager to make a full return as quickly as possible, but the ex-Feyenoord man knows all too well the need to be patient.

"I am not trying to rush anything" he says. "When the chance comes, I will take it and I'll be ready. But I feel good and my knee's up to par."

Assuming he can stay fit, is it too early to suggest that Gibbs will be involved in a Championship title race? After all Charlton, sitting second in the Championship after a strong start, can only be strengthened by the re-emergence of a player signed to play in the Premiership.

The man himself is cautiously optimistic, opining that, "We're on a good streak, and though we have dropped a couple of
points, we should be alright."