TITUS Bramble is hoping to throw himself back into Sunderland’s battle against relegation by returning to training next week.

Bramble had been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, but the centre-back has refused to accept that diagnosis and has been urging the club’s medical staff to let him play.

That plea has sensibly been rejected, but the defender will see a specialist today and will hope to be given the all clear to start training again as the swelling in his knee has dramatically reduced. The ex-Newcastle star has some cartilage damage – a similar injury to the one which ruled him out for two months before Christmas – but rest rather than surgery seems to have worked to clear it up.

However, even if Bramble receives some good news, the weekend’s nerve-jangling trip to Birmingham City is likely to come too soon for him given he has not trained since the 2-0 defeat by Liverpool on March 20. That will mean manager Steve Bruce has just one specialist centre-back available for the trip to Birmingham City this weekend and Michael Turner is still easing his way back into action after missing four months of the season with a knee injury of his own.

Having been their greatest strength at the start of the season – 11 clean sheets by the end of January – Sunderland’s flimsy backline has become their biggest

weakness during a dire run of seven defeats in their last eight games.

Anton Ferdinand could make the trip to the Midlands after coming off against West Brom with a tight hamstring if he responds to treatment, but John Mensah is out for at least three weeks with a groin strain. The Ghana international was superb – when fit – for Sunderland last term, but his lack of form is a big worry and there is already serious doubt about whether Sunderland will look to renew his loan deal with Lyon.

On a brighter note for Bruce, Kieran Richardson will recover in time to face Birmingham in a game the Wearsiders desperately need to avoid defeat in.