BRISTOL City could have Marvin Elliott and Neil Kilkenny, who played under Town boss Simon Grayson at Leeds, back in action tomorrow.
The midfield duo have returned to training to provide boss Derek McInnes with a boost as he tries to end a dismal run which has brought four straight defeats and left his side second-bottom of the Championship.
Leicester, Bolton, Burnley and, last Saturday, Hull have all beaten Bristol, whose last win came by a 2-1 margin at Peterborough on September 18, eight games ago.
With just four first-team starts between them, Elliott and Kilkenny have scarcely featured for the West Country side, whose squad includes ex-Town striker Jon Stead.
Having finally recovered from the ruptured Achilles tendon that ruled him out for the final two months of last season, Elliott suffered a groin injury after fighting his way back into the team and starting back-to-back away games at Peterborough and Watford in September.
He underwent a hernia operation last month – and has missed the last six games.
Aussie Kilkenny, who spent three and a half years at Elland Road, has struggled with injury since sustaining a hamstring problem during pre-season and was forced back onto the sidelines after playing in games against old club Leeds and Millwall.
The pair could now challenge the likes of Ghanaian Albert Adomah and former Derby and Celtic man Stephen Pearson for a place.
In a further plus for former St Johnstone manager McInnes, the sickness bug that laid low a number of City players last weekend appears to be under control.
Former Chelsea player Jody Morris, Stephen McManus and Steven Davies, Bristol’s six-goal top scorer, have all recovered, while keeper Dean Gerken and midfielder Bobby Reid missed training this week as a precaution.
McInnes, however, is still sweating on the fitness of centre-back James Wilson, who reported with a stiff neck and back and was forced to sit out the last game.
With Liam Fontaine and Louis Carey sidelined by injury, McInnes is short of central defensive options and had no choice but to field the unwell McManus alongside Lewin Nyatanga against Hull.
If Wilson fails to recover in time to face Town, McManus and Nyatanga will be the only two centre-backs left standing.
Fulham loanee Matthew Briggs is again likely to feature at left-back in the continued absence of the injured Greg Cunningham.
