Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter

Ricardo Gardner has made the long trek back to the senior squad of English Premier League team Bolton Wanderers.

After a knee injury put out the Jamaican international for eight months, he played in two reserve games earlier this week.

In the first, he started against Manchester City in a 2-1 win, and on Wednesday he again tested his knee - which has gone through three operations in six years - for another full 90 minutes.

Coming through the tests unscathed has meant a recall to senior duties for the Jamaican affectionately called 'Bibi'.

Bibi though, knows there is a long way to go if he is to regain his place in the starting 11 ahead of people like Henrik Pedersen and Tal Ben Haim, who have acquitted themselves brilliantly in the left-back's absence.

"It takes hard work. If I work hard and take the chance when it comes again then it will work out," said Gardner from his hime in England during a telephone interview with The Gleaner.

Bolton are presently fourth in the 20-team league with 24 points, coming from seven wins, three draws and five losses in 15 games.

The squad list for Bolton's trip to eighth-place Reading includes Gardner's name and he is grateful for the chance.

"I just have to give thanks that I'm healthy again and there were no ill-effects from the game yesterday," said Gardner on Wednesday.

The left-sided player says a return to national team duties is one of those things that his injury has hampered and he is now anxious for Jamaica's new technical director Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic to take a look at him.

"Bora is a great coach. If you check his background, you can see that. I have a lot of respect for him," said Gardner, voicing popular sentiment that Jamaica's latest choice of a coach was the right one.

"My confidence is back and I know I can get back to the same level that I was when I left. I'm not sure when I'll be back playing for Jamaica, it all depends on the managers," he added.