It was not the friendliest of ways to welcome back Lewis Hunt.

The defender’s comeback from his knee injury was in its infancy for City’s reserves when he was clattered by a clumsy tackle.

Peter Taylor winced on the sidelines, fearing another setback for a player who has suffered his fair share over the years.

But for Hunt, last month’s ice breaker on Barnsley’s training pitch was an early opportunity to remove any demons.

He may have played within himself during that 45-minute outing but the right back knew he had passed his biggest test.

Hunt said: “In a strange kind of way, getting a whack early on is what you want coming back from an injury.

“It just gets rid of any niggling doubts in the back of your head. You’ve done all the work to get back and that just shows you’re okay.”

Hunt had a lengthy injury when he played for Taylor at Wycombe and his manager admits that the quietly-spoken Brummie is due a change of luck.

“Hunty probably thinks the world is against him at the minute,” he said. “He’s had a couple of bad injuries and the last thing he needed was a tackle like that early on.

“The fella tried to do him and it didn’t help his start mentally. But I really hope for Lewis’s sake that he can get on playing football correctly.

“I think people we’re starting to see what he is capable of doing here. He was behind fitness-wise and and in terms of matches, then all of a sudden he got the injury.

“It’s good to have him back now and I hope things work out.”

Hunt’s arrival at the end of pre-season could not have been more timely when Simon Ramsden was struck down in the opening week.

But having played his way up to match fitness, the defender’s jinx struck again at the end of September.

An innocuous-enough challenge in the Northampton game saw his studs stick in the turf, damaging Hunt’s knee ligaments and meaning another long stretch on the sidelines.

Hunt admitted: “It’s been the story of our season so far but nobody is looking to use that as an excuse.

“It’s part and parcel of football. We’ve got a big squad and you’ve got players to come in when others are injured.

“It’s nice to be back involved after all the months of hard work and hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m back out on the pitch.”

Hunt has been restricted to a bench role so far. But with Taylor likely to lean on his older guard to steady City’s shuddering ship, his opportunity could arise against his former club next weekend.

Hunt added: “I don’t think you can underestimate the value of experience. You’ve got the old heads who can point things out to the younger players and talk them through little situations.

“But young or old, you’ve still got a job to do. It’s made perfectly clear to all of us what the manager expects out on that pitch.

“It’s frustrating, of course, for anyone when they’re not in the team but you’ve just got to bide your time and make sure you are doing everything right so that when the chance comes you are ready to take it.

“And as much as you want to be in the team, the players who are out on the pitch are also your mates.

“There’s friendly rivalry but you still want your mates to play well and Richard (Eckersley) has done a good job. It’s about what’s best for the team.

“But it’s nice to be back and feel that buzz that Saturday brings. Even though you’re not playing, you still feel a part of it again.”