BLACKBURN striker Matt Jansen celebrated his Rovers' return in style last night after he marked his comeback from injury with a wonder goal in the reserves at Everton.

The 24-year-old striker came through a 70 minute work-out unscathed in what was his first appearance in five months after battling back from a career-threatening head injury.

And, such was the impression he made at the Autoquest Stadium in Widnes, that he could even be in line for a shock first team return as a possible substitute against Newcastle on Saturday if Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke fail to win their own battles against injury.

"I'm absolutely delighted to be back," said Jansen, speaking exclusively to the Evening Telegraph.

"I've really missed being involved in competitive action over the last five months so to get 70 minutes under my belt last night was fantastic.

"In terms of my general all-round fitness, I felt absolutely fine. And I didn't feel any after-effects in terms of the actual injury itself, either.

"But it was just a relief to get back out there, to be honest, because it's been so frustrating to watch from the sidelines.

"Considering the amount of time I've been out, I thought I did quite well and, obviously, the goal was the icing on the cake."

Rovers' medical staff gave Jansen the green light to start last night's game after he had made excellent progress in training during the last 10 days.

And that decision was rewarded when the former England Under 21 international capped his comeback with a stunning 25 yard strike in the 50th minute to help the reserves to a 2-2 draw.

However, although the club are delighted with the speed of his recovery, club doctor Phil Batty has added a word of caution by warning it could take months before Jansen regains the kind of sharpness which took him to the brink of a World Cup call-up at the start of the summer.

"It could take a few months before we see the best of Matt Jansen again but it's a football decision in terms of when you want to reintroduce Matt in his current state into a first team situation," said Batty.

"From a medical point of view, if he's fit enough to play football in the reserves, then he's fit enough to play football at any level.

"But it's down to the manager and the coaching staff to decide when he's sharp enough for a first team return.

"What the fans need to understand is that although he will be fine in the long run, he's obviously not quite there yet.

"In terms of his recovery, there is still a way to go.

"From the medical side of things, we were very happy with him last night because he had to do some things in the game which he hadn't done before during his recovery, in terms of heading high balls.

"So I'm sure he won't have a headache but if he does at some point today then that would, obviously, concern me.

"Overall, though, I'm delighted with the way he's progressing and I'm sure he's going to be fine."