LLOYD Kelly admits his return from injury has been a "long time coming" as he made his comeback last night.

The defender played around an hour for Cherries under-21s as they swept aside Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the Premier League Cup at Alfreton thanks to a Kyle Taylor brace and Alex Dobre strike.

Kelly, signed for £13million from Bristol City in the summer, has featured just once for the Cherries first team due to ankle and thigh injuries.

His only appearance to date was the 2-0 reverse at Burton Albion in the Carabao Cup in September.

Discussing his latest return to fitness, Kelly told afcbTV: "It was a long time coming for me.

"I've been working hard behind the scenes to get back fit and I finally managed to get minutes out there, so hopefully I can kick on now.

"This week for me was very good. Getting what I needed in training and obviously you can't get fitness without playing a game really, get that match sharpness, so it was good to get some minutes.

"It feels fine. I got through it, all good. I only played about 60 minutes or so but overall it feels good.

"For me it's kicking on from here as much as I can, getting back within the squad and doing what I can to push my way into the team. Next week will be a big one for me."