KALIFA Cisse has given Bristol City some much-needed good news by declaring himself fit to return to Championship action.

Sidelined since he suffered a recurrence of a thigh strain at Yeovil on July 28, the 26-year-old Mali international made his comeback in a behind-closed-practice match against Aldershot Town at Failand yesterday.

And after completing 60 minutes of City’s 4-1 win, the midfielder said he is ready to face Roy Keane’s Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Saturday if called upon.

Cole Skuse remains extremely doubtful for the trip to East Anglia after he sustained a knee injury during last weekend’s 3-3 draw against Barnsley at Ashton Gate.

Lee Johnson and Gavin Williams offer manager Keith Millen alternative options, but he may decide to recall the combative Cisse now that he has proved his fitness.

“I feel fit and I am ready,” confirmed Cisse, who joined City from Reading in a move worth £500,000 during the summer.

“The injury has cleared up and it feels fine now. I played and there were no problems.

“We have a lot of midfielders and I don’t know if I will play so soon. But if the manager wants me to play on Saturday, I am ready to do that.

“I can come off the bench if he wants that, or I can start. I am feeling good about playing again and I want to get back in the team as quickly as I can.”

Cisse missed the second half of last season with an identical injury and spoke of his frustration at suffering a recurrence so early in his City career.

“It was hard to miss six months of last season, because you always want to play,” said the Mali international. “I worked hard to be fit when I came here and I played some games and enjoyed it.

“When you come to a new club, you always want to impress people and try to get into the team. That is why it was hard for me when I got the injury at Yeovil.

“I was trying hard to impress and was then told I could not play again for three weeks.”

Cisse governed the middle of the park, created one of City’s four goals on his comeback and showed no signs of tiredness when he was finally withdrawn.

He said: “I have been training properly for one week now and it was good to be back on the pitch. I need more games and, if the manager needs me, I would love to play on Saturday.”

City skipper Louis Carey is also pushing for a first-team recall after his second practice match in a week, while fellow defender Christian Ribeiro played 90 minutes for the first time since recovering from a back problem.

Wales international Ribeiro still lacks match sharpness, but Carey is ready to answer the call if Millen needs his experience at Ipswich.

A young City side won comfortably at the club’s training headquarters, Bobby Medjedoub, Marlon Jackson, John Akinde and substitute Tom Andrews scored the goals in a game that saw ex-Robins striker Damian Spencer score for the Shots.