ALAN O’Brien has set his sights on a first team return next month, as he bids to end a “nightmare” start to life at the County Ground.

Of all manager Danny Wilson’s summer signings, O’Brien has become something of a forgotten man having been sidelined since the end of August with a hamstring injury.

The Irish international has played around half an hour of Town’s last two reserve fixtures, and hopes a patient rehabilitation programme can leave him injury-free for the remainder of the campaign.

“It’s good to be back for the little short periods that I’m getting, and I just need to try and get a bit longer under my belt,” admitted O'Brien.

“It has been a nightmare of a time. One minute you feel really good and then the next day it gets stiff again, and I just want to be back in the team.

“But I know that when I get back I will be right. I could have really pushed it to try and get back, but then there’s the danger that it could have gone again and I would have been out for another few months. I don’t think I could handle that.

“I won't rush anything so that when I come back I’m fully fit.

“I want to be feeling good sometime in November and pushing for a place back in the team.

“When the gaffer thinks I’m doing okay and looking sharp then hopefully he will put me back in.”

The 24-year-old left-sided player admits it has been hard to watch from the stands as his Town teammates continue their steady start to the season, and O’Brien believes his imminent return can give the side a boost.

“It’s really hard, whether they are doing well or badly, because you just want to be a part of it,” explained the former Newcastle man.

“When things are going well you want to be involved and when it’s not so good you think you could help a bit.

“Every player will think they can make a difference going back into the team and I’m no different. I just want a chance to show what I can do, but I need to be properly fit before I go into a game.”

O’Brien was withdrawn after 38 minutes – earlier than expected - of Swindon’s reserve team fixture at Reading on Tuesday, but the pacey wide man insists there is nothing to be worried about.

“I was tightening up a little bit, but I was running quicker than in the last reserve game and felt a little bit sharper,” he told the Advertiser.

“I knew my hamstring was going to be bit tighter, and it did get tight, so I just came off as a precaution.

“I wanted to play a bit longer but had to be sensible as I didn’t want to aggravate it.”