The full-back, who has been sidelined for six months with an ankle problem, stepped up his return with a run out in a behind-closed-doors clash with Aston Villa on Tuesday. He was able to get 75 much-needed minutes under his belt in that contest and has experienced no adverse reaction to his first outing of the season. Simpson is likely to be held back in the reserves until he recovers his full match sharpness, but the 23-year-old is delighted to be back in the frame. "I'm just buzzing to be back, and hopefully I can kick on from here," Simpson told the Evening Chronicle. "I've been training for three weeks, and to finally get out and come through with no niggles was brilliant. I felt good. "I didn't feel anything, or suffer any other problems. Sometimes when you come back from injury, you feel your hamstring, or your muscles. "I'm just glad to have done 75 minutes. I've never really been injured in my career, maybe a month at the most, so it's great to be back. "I'm just looking forward to getting back now and playing in the Premier League." Simpson admits the last few months have been among the hardest of his career, with it not immediately apparent when he sustained the knock that he would be out for so long. "It's been a bit of a test, but it's made me stronger, and made me want it even more," he said. "I knew there was something wrong with my ankle, but I didn't know how serious it was. "I thought I'd only be out a couple of months, but it's turned out to be six months."
