Roeder cautious over Dyer comeback

Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder will keep Kieron Dyer under wraps for another few weeks before unleashing him on the Barclays Premiership once again.

The 27-year-old, sidelined for more than five months with a hamstring problem, had hoped to make his return to senior action against Bolton but Roeder will rein him in for a further fortnight or so as he attempts to avoid yet another false dawn for the England international.

Roeder said: "I am as convinced as I can be with what I have seen with my own eyes every day. But we have been here with him before. This is why he has had an extended break - but it is not a break where he has been doing nothing."

He added: "He has been working extremely hard over these past five months or so.

"It is the longest break he has had and we felt he needed that period of time.

"When the lads were off on their holidays during the close season, Kieron was working hard.

"He has not had a break as such and we now feel, after a five-and-a-half-month break, he is going to be fine.

"But, of course, the acid test will be when he plays games, gets through them and is then fit to play the following week and the following week again.

"Once he puts seven, eight, nine, 10 games together on the trot, we will finally think we have got him where we want him.

"He will not be part of the squad this weekend but he is getting much closer and, in the next couple of weeks, I am sure he will be."