Brown Coy Over Return Of Bullard

Hull City boss Phil Brown is not willing to risk the long-term fitness of midfielder Jimmy Bullard by rushing him back into the side's Premier League relegation battle.

The influential midfielder has been out for the last three months due to a knee injury but played for the reserves in midweek and is coming back into first team contention.

In his absence Hull City have slipped into the Premier League relegation places, but they are only one point from safety and three away from West Ham in 13th position.

Their next game is against Everton on March 7th but Brown has admitted he will not rush 31-year-old Bullard back into the side unless he is completely convinced about his fitness.

"The motivation will be there for everyone to be involved this weekend and Jimmy will be no different," the manager told the Hull Daily Mail.

"I'm not making any promises that he's going to start on Sunday. But if he's somewhere near, I'm sure he'll be kicking my door down to make sure he's involved."

However, Brown could be forced to play out the rest of the Premier League season without central defender Anthony Gardner.

The 29-year-old suffered ankle ligament damage in the club's recent defeat to West Ham and will definitely miss the Everton game.

Surgery will be needed to determine the full extent of the damage and how long Gardner will be out of action for.

According to the Premier League odds, Hull face a tough battle to avoid relegation and the absence of Gardner could be a major blow.

Meanwhile, England continued their preparations for the 2010 Football World Cup with a 3-1 win over Egypt at Wembley last night.