Cardiff City keeper Neil Etheridge is closing in on a return to the XI after featuring for the U23 side today.

The 29-year-old has established himself as a vital player for Neil Warnock since arriving at the club, initially impressing as they won promotion to the top-flight.

He enhanced his reputation with his performances in the Premier League despite the Bluebirds suffering relegation.

So, the fact he hasn't played since the opening day defeat at Wigan because of a hamstring injury has been a major problem for the Welsh side.

However, there was good news on that front today, with the club's Twitter account confirming that he played for the development side as they beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 today, with Etheridge making several strong stops in the game.

That could put him in contention to play against Middlesbrough on Saturday as Cardiff look to end a three-game winless run in the league.

Alex Smithies has been standing in for the Philippine international but has managed to keep just one clean sheet this season.

The verdict

This is great news for Cardiff as Etheridge has shown over the past two years that he is a very good stopper and they did well to keep him at the club this summer.

Whether he comes straight back into the team remains to be seen. Even though Smithies has done okay, you get the feeling Warnock will want to change things around as they look for a win.

So, it would be no surprise to see him in goal against Boro and it will give the team a lift.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.