Bristol star Perry is closing in on return for Saints clash

SHAUN Perry is desperate to make his comeback in Bristol's next Guinness Premiership match after stepping up his training in one-on-one sessions with Richard Hill.

The talismanic scrum-half has not played yet this season after damaging his shoulder in the opening pre-season match at Exeter on August 16.

But after a successful operation, he's back in training with Bristol's head coach and targeting a return when Northampton visit the Memorial Stadium on November 16.

The majority of the Bristol squad will be given next week off as the club have no game – but the 30-year-old England man will be in every day as he prepares to return to full training on November 10.

"I stepped things up last week, am stepping it up again this week – and will step it up even more into controlled contact next week," said Perry.

"It is only nine weeks since the op but it has gone really well up to now and it just depends how the shoulder reacts when I step things up over the next few weeks.

"I have started passing and kicking again, just to get back into it – and you can't get a better coach than Hilly when it comes to that one-on-one work.

"The boys are off next week but I will be in. It is not a time for me to have a holiday but to step things up.

"To play against Northampton would be amazing – to come back for a home match. That is not off the cards but it is certainly not 100 per cent. I need to see how the shoulder reacts, how the strength comes back.

"My left arm is 40 per cent weaker than my right at the moment. Normally it is 15 per cent weaker because I am right arm dominant, so the last few weeks have been about getting the movement back in my shoulder and building up the strength in the arm."

Bristol, who host Saracens in the EDF Energy Cup on Saturday, have won only one match in nine this term.

And while stand-in scrum-halves Graeme Beveridge and Haydn Thomas have both performed admirably, the return of Perry will arguably lift the whole club.

"We are starting to get players coming back from injury and the last big one to come back in is Shaun Perry," said Hill.

"He'll be touch and go for Northampton on November 16, if he doesn't make it he'll make the Gloucester game the week after.

"He is genuinely close now. It will be an interesting decision whether we include him against Northampton. We've been doing passing and kicking work with him and he's got two weeks now to strengthen that shoulder up.

"It's fully repaired and the surgeon is happy, but he's got to get the strength back now. If he works hard in the next two weeks then I'm not ruling out the possibility of him playing against Northampton."