CHERRIES winger Marc Pugh insists he is “raring to go” for the Championship run-in and revealed his underlying ankle complaint was holding up well.

The 28-year-old sustained the injury having suffered a hefty challenge in the 3-0 victory over promotion rivals Middlesbrough prior to the international break.

Pugh’s initial prognosis was concerning with a scan showing ligament damage, although the Lancastrian felt no discomfort when he stepped up his training regime over the past few weeks.

And having emerged unscathed from playing more than an hour at Brighton and 69 minutes in Tuesday’s 1-0 win at Reading, the long-serving wide man is confident of playing a part in Cherries’ crunch end-of-season treble.

Pugh told the Daily Echo: “It was meant to be a six-week recovery but I managed to get back early and it feels really good at the moment. I do get a bit of tenderness after games but, overall, I feel great.

“I have done a couple of full training sessions now which has helped me to feel a lot sharper. Hopefully, going into the Sheffield Wednesday game I will feel even better.

“The timing of our last three games has fallen quite nicely, I can get another couple of training sessions under my belt and I am raring to go.”

On his initial prognosis, Pugh added: “It happened just before the international break so in the back of my mind I thought I would be alright for the next game.

“It’s horrible being injured, you just want to be involved, especially at a time like this. To then see the scan result was bad news at first and, of course, I was gutted but the rehab went really well and the medical staff have worked wonders. It is great to be back.”

Meanwhile, Pugh says table-topping Cherries must beware of becoming a scalp for mid-table opponents Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow (3pm).

The Owls all but ended Cherries’ play-off push with a 4-2 victory at Dean Court towards the end of last season and the winger remains keen to settle that score.

“I think that experience made us a stronger team,” said Pugh. “We just have to make sure we approach the game in the same way we always do, play our football and, hopefully, come out on top.

“We do have a point to prove after last season but nobody rolls over in this league, Reading proved that on Tuesday and it will be another tough game.

“In the past they have played with the big lad (Atdhe) Nuhiu up front and put a lot of pressure on opponents. They are one of those teams with a big tradition and expectation on every game wherever they are in the table."

“We have to start on the front foot and hopefully get the result.”