"The medical team have done an excellent job, in terms of his rehab and Rob's been brilliant as well"

Bristol City, all being well, are hopeful that they’ll receive an earlier-than-expected Rob Dickie boost, with Michael Skubala confirming the defender is likely to be close to being available for selection in about 10 days.

Dickie, 30, has missed each of the Robins' last four matches through injury. The defender last turned out for City in their home defeat to Lincoln City in mid-September, when he left the field of play on a stretcher after a coming together in the second half.

Initially, the Reds were worried that their vice-captain had damaged both his knee and his ankle in the coming together. Before the extended international break, however, Skubala was able to confirm that Dickie's ankle hadn't been impacted and that he had not suffered an ACL injury.

Ahead of the Robins' trip to Charlton Athletic a fortnight ago, the City boss added that he hoped to see the former QPR man involved again before Christmas. Now though, two weeks down the line, it isn't impossible that Dickie could return to the fold before the November international break.

"Rob Dickie's on his way back," Skubala told Bristol Live on Thursday afternoon. "He's probably, I want to say - hopefully, if things go well - 10 days away, which is exceptional news.

"We're really pleased about that. I don't want us to hold ourselves to that, because there's a bit more than he's got to go through, but we thought that might be Christmas-time. It's really good.

"As I say, the medical team - Paul Tanner's team - have done an excellent job, in terms of his rehab," the Reds manager added. "And Rob's been brilliant as well in his rehab, so we feel like we're in a good place.

"Of course, there could be setbacks, and you can't hold me to that because that's what happens with injuries, but we think he'll be close."

Outside of Dickie, the Reds are close to boasting an almost clean bill of health with almost a quarter of the Championship campaign now played. Joe Williams and Lorent Tolaj are expected to be available for selection once again this weekend, having shaken off niggles, while Noah Eile is on the mend, having been sidelined by illness in recent weeks.

Yes, Elijah Adebayo is a doubt for the weekend's meeting with Stoke City, but with Luke McNally now fit again, City have few senior players who are currently confined to the High Performance Centre's treatment room.

Few managers, particularly in England's second tier, are fortunate enough to have found themselves in such a position. While such a fact has been welcomed by Skubala and his coaching staff - who have made a conscious effort to protect their squad - it does present a challenge.

"Health-wise, we're in a good place," the City boss said. "We're getting players back, and it's really good news. We go into the winter period really healthy.

"At times, you have to change the team to keep players healthy, and now, we have really good competition in the squad. It's really exciting and, as I say, they've trained so well this week. The energy in the group is good, and they're looking forward to the game.

"The challenge is getting the rhythm in the group and the relationships built in the group," Skubala added. "I think we've protected the group, up until now, very well, in terms of managing the players, and I think it's always a manager's challenge: you have to change the team sometimes.

"Some [changes] are enforced, some are tactical, some are not, but getting to a point when you can feel healthy, and I think we're in that place now, is exceptional. Now we need to make that count as we go into these months.

"We need now to have a really competitive group, lads that are striving to push for the team, keep the shirt and perform well. From there, we can kick on and create some good moments."