GAZZA INJURY BOOST
The 33-year-old midfielder limped out of Sunday`s 1-0 defeat by Aston Villa, appearing to suffer a thigh injury when slipping as he prepared to take a free-kick.
It was initially feared that he would be sidelined for at least a fortnight, but Toffees boss Walter Smith is now hopeful that he will make the crunch weekend clash with Bradford.
"The injury has settled," a delighted Smith stated. "He`s been to the specialist and he will be alright for the weekend, by the look of things.
"It is a relief for us because at first we feared that his thigh muscle had been torn. If it had been he would have been out of action for quite a while.
"He had cramp and a fair bit of swelling and he could not have played on against Villa.
"He`s torn a few fibres in his hip, but it`s definitely not as serious as we first thought and we are hopeful he will be ready to play against Bradford on Saturday."
Other injury news is concerning David Unsworth and Steve Watson, who both left the field early against Villa after picking up knocks.
Smith simply said of the pair: "Obviously we have to assess these injuries."
