COLE Skuse is in line to start the Coca-Cola Championship

season in Bristol City's first team.

City launch their campaign against Blackpool at Bloomfield

Road on Saturday and the Bristolian will almost certainly play

if fellow midfielder Marvin Elliott fails to recover from

injury.

Last season's young player of the year, Elliott is

struggling to overcome a recurring knee problem and has not

trained with the senior squad since the end of last week.

The 23-year-old Londoner was today having a precautionary

scan and manager Gary Johnson described his chances of facing

Blackpool as “less than 50 per cent.”

Elliott missed the start of City's pre-season programme

while recovering from a fractured ankle sustained at the end of

last season.

He played 45 minutes at Bournemouth last week and for an

hour at Cheltenham, but was forced to sit out Friday's 4-0

friendly win over Royal Antwerp.

He is clearly short of match practice and Johnson is not

prepared to takes risks with the midfield powerhouse, who

played an integral part in City's march to the play-offs last

term.

If, as appears increasingly likely, Elliott is ruled out of

Saturday's curtain-raiser in Lancashire, Johnson is expected to

turn instead to Skuse.

The 22-year-old academy product deputised for Elliott

against Antwerp and capped a fine all-round display by

setting-up Nicky Maynard for City's second goal. Having played

second fiddle to Lee Johnson, Nick Carle and Elliott for much

of last season, Skuse now has an opportunity to nail down a

regular place in the starting line-up

Johnson said: “Skuse came in against Antwerp, did very well

and probably deserves his chance.

“This is the season where he needs to break through and he

might get his opportunity nice and early.

“I have to be careful with the balance of the team and he

can play that holding role in the centre of midfield and has

the same legs as Marvin. You can't go with an entire midfield

of people who run with the ball, you need different types.

Skuse didn't start many games last season and this is his

chance to get in and establish himself.”

Of Elliott, he said: “Marvin's just having one or two little

problems and niggles that we're having to manage at the

moment.

“He may or may not be missing, we'll just have to wait and

see how his week develops. He's been doing a bit of training

apart from the other lads to keep him ticking over and he'll

have a scan to make sure there's nothing in there that we don't

know about.

“Then we'll know if we can really push him or not. But, at

this moment in time, his chances are less than 50 per

cent.”

Winger Scott Murray will definitely miss Saturday's opening

game with a fractured wrist, while academy product Jordan

Walker is ruled out with a knee injury. Otherwise, Johnson is

expected to be able to select from a full-strength squad.

He revealed: “Players are coming back to full fitness and

there is real competition for places. Judging by our training

this week, they all want to play on Saturday.

“We've had some really lively sessions, which is what you

want in the final week before the season starts.

“There are still five days to go and I pretty much know my

team. There are just one or two places up for grabs.”