RETURNING forward Perris Blackwell believes his physical presence in defence and sharp-shooting in attack will help fire Worcester Wolves to victory at Sheffield Sharks tomorrow (7.30pm).

The 24-year-old is expected to make his long-awaited return in the British Basketball League encounter at the English Institute of Sport after more than a month on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

And Blackwell says he is desperate to get out on the court after watching Wolves suffer a disappointing 94-85 defeat to Cheshire Phoenix last Sunday.

“It has been really frustrating, especially when you lose and know that you can be a big part of us winning,” Blackwell said.

“I am super excited for the Sheffield game. Obviously it will be a tough game as they are a hard-nosed team but I like big games, so I am really looking forward to getting back out there.

“I can bring scoring and just a presence on the floor, so I really want to help the team.”

Blackwell described the injury as a “freak accident” and says he hopes he can pick up from where he left off after scoring 233 points in 13 games this season.

“I did the injury during a practice session with one of the university kids,” he said.

“He ran under me and I came down on his foot, so there was nothing I could really do about it. I was in a lot of pain. I had torn a couple of tendons in my foot, so it took a little while for those to heal, which was frustrating.

“It was tough having both myself and Ben Eaves out but I think the team have done well.

“In the last game they had a couple of lapses. I don’t know whether that was because we had played back to back but, with what we were working with, especially over the holiday period, I think we made a strong push.

“Having the injury has set me back a bit after being on a roll but this weekend is a new challenge and I am looking forward to it.”

Head coach Paul James said he was also relishing the chance to unleash Blackwell against fourth-placed Sheffield after deciding not to risk him for Wolves’ double-header at Bristol Flyers and Cheshire.

“We were hoping to have him back last weekend but you have to look after the player’s welfare as well, so if he is not quite ready you don’t want him going out there and possibly getting injured again,” James said.

“It was a call I had to make and it paid off against Bristol but it didn’t against Cheshire, so we will push him hard this week and get him out there tomorrow.”