BRISTOL ROVERS striker Jo Kuffour is prepared to play the waiting game as he starts his bid to win a regular slot in the starting line-up at Peterborough this afternoon.

New signing Kuffour is expected to be named in the matchday squad for the first time since making the switch from Bournemouth over a week ago, after being laid low by a flu bug.

Pirates head coach Paul Trollope was giving little away over team selection when asked yesterday, but he has hinted that there are unlikely to be sweeping changes to the side, despite watching them crash out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Bournemouth.

Kuffour accepts he may have to bide his time in a bid to replace first-choice pair Rickie Lambert and summer signing Darryl Duffy, who have already claimed eight goals between them this season.

He said: "I am ready to go now and hopefully I will get the chance to come off the bench on Saturday. The lads up front have done well here, so I don't expect to walk straight into the team.

"It is good there is competition and everyone has to fight for their place. I am prepared to sit on the bench and wait for my time to come.

"It was a great performance by the boys at Leeds and they scored six against Hereford, so I guess I will just have to wait my turn."

The after-effects of the flu bug saw Kuffour miss the chance to make his debut at Elland Road last Saturday and also denied him a quick reunion with his old club on Tuesday night.

Kuffour said: "You always like to play in big games or ones against your old club, but the bug I had meant I wasn't quite ready.

"There is no point coming into the team at 70 per cent because I want to be flying and raring to go.

"I wasn't surprised to hear the result on Tuesday because Bournemouth have a new manager and they are a bit of a bogey club for Bristol Rovers."

Meanwhile, defender Danny Coles will be back in training next week and is being pencilled in for a return to action before the end of the month.

Coles has missed the start of the campaign after picking up a knee injury in the pre-season fixture with Dutch side Den Haag.

Trollope has also confirmed that fellow knee-injury victim Joe Jacobson is 'not too far behind' and is hopeful that the Wales international will be back inside a month.

He said: "Danny is hopefully going to be back in training with the group next week and then we will look to arrange a reserve game a week or two after that.

"Joe is not too far behind and neither of them have had setbacks in their rehabilitation, which has been pleasing."