CHRIS WISE Robert Green could be back in action at the weekend after emerging from an horrific collision with West Ham striker Marlon Harewood with nothing worse than a sore head.

CHRIS WISE

Robert Green could be back in action at the weekend after emerging from an horrific collision with West Ham striker Marlon Harewood with nothing worse than a sore head.

There was genuine concern for the Norwich City keeper's welfare when he was stretchered off wearing a neck brace during the closing stages of Saturday's FA Cup third round tie.

But it later emerged that he had escaped without injury, and having been given the all-clear at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Green now has a chance of maintaining a remarkable appearance record when City resume their Championship campaign at Plymouth.

City's long-term No 1 hasn't missed a game through injury since the closing stages of the 2001-2 campaign and could yet keep regular deputy Darren Ward on the sidelines again at Home Park.

Manager Nigel Worthington certainly isn't ruling Green out yet - but he isn't ruling him in either, with the player requiring another check-up before any decision is made on his availability.

“We are pleased that Robert is out of hospital and seems to suffering from no more than a little stiffness and soreness - but he will still have to be checked over by the doctors later in the week,” he said.

“He won't be doing much work until then and there is no way we can make a decision on Plymouth yet. We will just to have to wait and see what the medical advice is.”

Meanwhile Peter Thorne, first on the scene when Green went down on Saturday, has relived the anxious moments that followed the collision and admitted he was worried his colleague had suffered a serious injury

“Anytime you see a player not moving on the pitch it is quite scary,” he said. “When I went over he was laid out, but conscious at the time. Someone said later he might have passed out although he acknowledged me.

“It was all very worrying at the time but Greeny is a strong lad and fingers crossed he will be back with us soon.”

As far as the latest transfer speculation linking Green with a move away from Carrow Road is concerned it would appear that weekend reports of an imminent move to Charlton were well wide of the mark.

One national newspaper paper suggested Alan Curbishley was prepared to offer £1.5m plus one-time City loan player Kevin Lisbie for the England keeper.

But the Addicks' boss knocked down that story, saying: “I'm not in the market for another goalkeeper - I have got three already (Dean Kiely, Stephan Andersen and Thomas Myhre).”