A pre-season knee injury forced Southern to sit out the Seasiders' opening three games before the stalwart eventually made his top-flight debut in the win at Newcastle. The 29-year-old then came off the bench at Liverpool during the visitors' famous 2-1 victory and also played 70 minutes for the reserves on Tuesday night as he attempts to get back to full fitness, but Southern admits he has rushed his return. He told the club's official website: "It was a nasty injury and I probably came back a little bit quicker than I should have done in all honesty. "I should have had a few more weeks out if truth be known but I was just desperate to get back involved." Despite returning prematurely, Southern was thrilled to be involved at Anfield on Sunday. He said: "It was awesome. I managed to get half-an-hour, I was chomping at the bit to get on and I was delighted to get the call. "We hung on at the end but the lads put in a superb performance and fully deserved it. "I got another run-out last night under my belt so I'm getting back to what my standard usually is. "My knee feels fine now, I'm fully fit and raring to go. We're only in October so I've got so much to look forward to."
