Timpano not far away

Sydney FC defender Jacob Timpano is hopeful he has seen the worst of his horror injury run as he plots his latest comeback from ankle surgery.

The 22-year-old former Olyroos skipper has been plagued by separate leg injuries restricting him to just five Hyundai A-League appearances since the inaugural season.

Three of those starts came this season before a bone spur interrupted his long-awaited return, but now back on his feet, Timpano expects to return to action within a month.

"It's coming along well, I started doing a bit of running last week so it'll just be a gradual build up over the next month or so and hopefully it won't be too much longer before I'll join in with the boys and start getting a bit of game time," Timpano said.

"I played all the pre-season games and the first few games so I've got nine or 10 games under my belt before I had the surgery," he said.

"And with the Youth League in at the moment which will be good for myself as soon as I'm ready I can probably get some match fitness."

While he concedes his latest injury has been tough to take, he remains upbeat about his prospects this season.

"I had such a good pre-season and started off pretty well and it's something that came on and there's not much that anyone can do about it," Timpano said.

"It is pretty unlucky but it's nowhere near what I've had in the past so it's just another little set back I suppose and hopefully it'll be the last of the season."

Timpano's return will boost the Sky Blues' already impressive defensive stocks but he knows forcing his way back into the starting line-up won't be easy.

"The boys are doing well at the moment so it probably will be tough to break in but when I do get a chance, hopefully it'll be as soon as possible, I can cement a spot again," he said.