MARK McGregor has revealed his sheer relief at ending six months of injury hell.

The versatile Clarets defender handed Burnley boss Stan Ternent a timely boost by playing his first game of the season for the reserves earlier this week.

McGregor's campaign has been wrecked by a knee cartilage injury sustained in the summer and an unexpected setback that later needed surgery.

But the former Wrexham defender, 26, is now fighting fit and setting his sights on a return to first team action.

McGregor said: "It was great to be out there again. It's been a lot of hard work since the start of the season to get fit again and it's all been a bit of a nightmare.

"Initially I thought it (the injury) was only going to be a one month job, but then they had to operate.

"Thankfully, there's been no reaction after playing, so everything is going well."

McGregor, who has made 31 starts for the Clarets since arriving from the Racecourse Ground in the summer of 2001, last appeared at Wimbledon in the final game of last season.

But he put in an impressive performance for Burnley's second string on Monday to boost Ternent's limited defensive options in the continued absence of hamstring victim David May.

McGregor added: "Towards the end of the game I got a bit tired, which is only to be expected since it's been six months since I last played.

"Obviously there was a two-month break in the summer, but four more months after picking up the cartilage injury it's such a huge relief to get 90 minutes under my belt.

"I've done a lot of hard work over the last two weeks to get myself fit and that reserve game can only help.

"The overall squad isn't the biggest, so the gaffer needs as many players as possible and if everyone is fit, the squad is in better shape all round."

Meanwhile Ternent, now close to having a full squad at his disposal for the first time this season, is sweating on a couple of niggly injuries ahead of the weekend trip to Sheffield United.

Delroy Facey and Glen Little are both fighting to shake off toe injuries sustained in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Cardiff, while there is good news on May, who is finally back in training under the watchful eye of physio Ian Liversedge following a month on the sidelines.

That leaves just Alan Moore (ankle), Paul Weller (knee) and Paul Scott (foot) in the treatment room.