Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon on way back from injury

The Sunderland goalkeeper aggravated an ankle injury when he was hurried back into action six weeks ago and he has vowed not to make the same mistake again."The last thing I want is for the injury to re-occur," said Gordon, 26. "The temptation is to rush it and say I'm ready for a first-team return now but I have to listen to the medical people and make sure I'm doing the right things."I'm not yet back in full training but I'm out there with the rest of the goalkeepers and close to it and it'll take a week or so for me to get back up to full speed."The physios will chart my progress over the next few days, keep an eye on me to make sure I'm not going too fast." The former Hearts captain, who became Britain's most expensive goalkeeper when he left Tynecastle in a £9million deal 18 months ago, is hoping to resume full training with his Sunderland colleagues this week."It's been 10 or 11 weeks since the last time I played having trained properly beforehand, so it will take time for me to get back into the swing. I might be a bit rusty to start with," Gordon added."By the middle of this week I should be back in full training and maybe I will play some part in a reserve game. When you are injured you feel isolated, it's not nice, but it happens in every player's career and I'm pleased I can put it all behind me now." Gordon should be available for selection when Scotland face Holland in Amsterdam in a World Cup qualifier on March 28 but for now he is focusing on helping Sunderland climb away from the Premier League relegation zone."As far as the season goes, there is still a massive amount to play for, it's exciting for me to come back into it," said Gordon."We have a great chance to move up the table – but plenty of other clubs are saying the same thing. One thing's for sure, it will be a great end to the season."A couple of wins and you can quickly move up the table, you just have to look at Wigan who are solid without being spectacular."Our aim is to string together a couple of wins to give us a bit of breathing space – let's hope it starts against Aston Villa."

Source: Telegraph