THE return of Sam Buckler has been greeted with cheer by his manager Gary Bailey – after nearly a year out with a broken leg.

The former Bridport defender, who suffered the injury whilst on the books at St Mary’s Field, started his first competitive game for Portland United on Tuesday in a 4-3 loss to Swanage Town & Herston.

The defender came through his first hour of play since January and Bailey was thrilled to see him on the pitch.

He told Echosport: “He came trough 90 minutes with the reserves on Saturday and we had a chat with him, and he said he was okay.

“The next step was to give him some minutes for the first team.”

Commenting on his performance, the boss added: “He did okay. He was, of course, a little rusty, he’s not played for a year at this level.

“He came through it unscathed and it was a real positive. It’s another step for him on his road to full fitness.”

Buckler is set to be named as part of the squad for today’s Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division clash with Whitchurch United, but Bailey won’t be rushing his charge into more action.

Nor will he rush Sam’s brother, Max, who picked up a nasty injury on Tuesday.