Danny Spiller is hoping he can find a way of speeding up his return for Gillingham after stitches were removed from his broken finger on Tuesday.

The midfielder, pictured, who almost lost his left index finger in a freak accident during the game against Chesterfield at the end of January, is desperate to regain his place in the team.

During his initial operation a fortnight ago, surgeons inserted a metal screw to right the bone and 18 stitches were needed to repair two of the three ruptured ligaments in his fingers.

All of that came after the ball hit him on the hand. The initial timescale for recovery was put at 12 weeks.

Spiller is now hoping to halve the comeback time by playing with protection on his finger but he knows that it is not straightforward.

He said: "If I can find something protective and the referee passes it off as playable, then there is a possibility that I could be back in four to six weeks.

"We just need something that is safe and secure."

Spiller returned to the training ground on Thursday but physical contact is out of the question – one wrong move could mean he loses the finger. For now, he has to concentrate on maintaining his fitness levels.

Would you like to see Danny Spiller back within six weeks, or should he take his recovery more slowly? Have your say in our comments section below.