Seagulls lifted by return of trio Brighton will be boosted by the return of three players for the visit of Middlesbrough in the npower Championship. Striker Craig Mackail-Smith, midfielder Andrew Crofts and winger Will Buckley are all back in the frame after recovering from hamstring injuries. Will Hoskins (broken foot) is also back in training but the striker is not expected to figure this weekend. Spanish winger Vicente is nearing a return to action after a spell out with a thigh strain but boss Gus Poyet revealed he is not quite ready yet. "It's very close," he told The Argus. "He was nearly training with us this week. It was just a matter of doing some extra work on his fitness and not to force him." Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray is sweating on the fitness of a series of players ahead of the trip. Jonathan Woodgate (hamstring) and midfielder Adam Reach (ankle) are rated 50-50 to return to action, although Kevin Thomson (knee) and Stuart Parnaby (dislocated jaw) are expected to be available. However, striker Ishmael Miller could miss out once again with a hamstring injury, and full-back Justin Hoyte is sidelined by a similar problem. Former Coventry frontman Lukas Jutkiewicz is out for up to four weeks after suffering knee ligament damage, and midfielder Merouane Zemmama (hamstring) will be missing for a similar period. Long-term absentees Muzzy Carayol and Curtis Main (both knee) and Rhys Williams (ankle ligaments) will be out until the New Year, and central defender Stephen McManus has joined Bristol City on a three-month loan deal.
Source: PA
