Chris Brandon revealed his “surprise” at feeling so good after his injury comeback.

The jinxed City midfielder came through unscathed from an hour’s action in the reserves friendly at Doncaster in midweek.

It was his first outing for five months since shattering his ankle in a second-string game against Scunthorpe.

But the acid test for Brandon was how his body reacted the following morning. And the lack of any aches and pains proved he was finally on the way back after a season to forget.

Brandon said: “I’ve been out for so long that I was expecting to hurt a bit. Before the game I was wondering what I was going to be like afterwards.

“But I feel really good. I was actually surprised when I got up on Thursday without any problem at all.

“The season has been nothing but frustration for me but now it’s all looking positive again.”

Brandon is still waiting to play his first competitive game for City. His only senior appearances have been two brief pre-season outings in Scotland, where he suffered his first injury setback at Motherwell.

Stuart McCall appreciates Brandon’s nightmare and was just as chuffed to see him play again.

The City boss said: “He was full of running and clearly enjoyed it. Chris is a fit lad anyway but he will obviously need a run of games.”

Brandon added: “For me, it was about using the game for building up fitness. But the big boost for me was how well I felt afterwards.

“Now I can look to step up my training and hopefully it won’t be long before I’m there or thereabouts with the other lads.”