Tottenham defender Ledley King edged closer to a return to competitive action on Wednesday when he took part in his first game in seven months.
King, who has been out since October with a groin injury, took an encouraging step on the road to recovery when he came through 90 minutes of a Spurs XI's 3-2 win over West Ham at the north London club's base in Chigwell.
The England international had hoped to return for last month's game at Chelsea, but he has been forced to bide his time, with Harry Redknapp careful not to risk a player who has been troubled by chronic knee injuries throughout his career.
The 30-year-old could now come into contention for this weekend's Barclays Premier League clash at Liverpool given that Spurs are likely to be without William Gallas.
Gallas thinks he will not play again this season after coming off during Tuesday night's 1-0 defeat at Manchester City but Sebastien Bassong, who also played in Wednesday's game, could replace the Frenchman.
Redknapp is short in defence, with Jonathan Woodgate (groin), Alan Hutton (knee) and Benoit Assou-Ekotto (hamstring) all injured.
West Ham midfielder Junior Stanislas, who has been out for four months with a hernia, made a 30-minute substitute appearance for the Hammers.
