Stoke City boss Tony Pulis was delighted with Jonathan Woodgate's debut against Aldershot on the weekend.
Woodgate, who moved from Tottenham to the Potters this summer on a pay-as-you-play deal, lasted 62 minutes of Stoke's loss to Aldershot.
It was his first taste of football since a cameo against AC Milan on February 15 - and the first time he was in a first XI since Spurs beat Wigan 9-1 in November 2009.
Boss Tony Pulis said: "He did smashing, it was always the plan to take him off after 60 minutes. He feels fine. To get him through today is brilliant."
Woodgate's injury list reads like a child's nursery rhyme - heads, shoulders, knees and toes (and back and groin). But Pulis is hoping the switch to Stoke means Woodgate's injury hell is behind the former Leeds man.
He said: "We have to manage his injuries and the important thing is he plays on a Saturday. He can be very good for this club if we get him fit and keep him fit.
"We have a very good record of getting injured players and playing them."
