By Paul Camillin, in Athlone

In an exclusive interview Albion physio Malcolm Stuart has told seagulls.co.uk that he hopes defender Adam Hinshelwood will be back in action this October.

Hinshelwood had his fourth major knee operation at end of last season, but Stuart has been delighted with his progress and is confident the former England under-21 defender has finally overcome his knee troubles.

Stuart, currently on tour with the first team in Ireland, explained, "Adam has gone off to America for another fortnight and will work with knee specialist Bill Knowles on his rehabilitation.

"Already we are extremely pleased with his progress, following the operation, and we're confident that this time the damage has been repaired.

"We've had a lot of help from Andy Williams the orthopedic surgeon. He's in the hands of two of the best people in that field and our thoughts have been around Adam resuming training in September.

"I think we are all very happy and confident his problems are behind him. We know exactly how to work it and what to do, but I think we are all feeling very positive about it at this stage."

Meanwhile Stuart also revealed that Albion have enjoyed a relatively injury-free pre-season to date. He said, "Touch wood, we've only had a couple of minor foot problems where the ground is so hard at this time of year.

"It's something that happens every year. We try to avoid it and do as much as we can to avoid it, but a couple of the players have had to rest. However, we don't expect any players to be out for any length of time or to miss any games at this stage."

Check out Bob Booker's behind-the-scenes guide to the Ireland tour, coming soon on Seagulls World. And you can enjoy highlights of the match against Athlone Town, plus Albion's other first-team friendlies. Why not try a four-day trial for just 99p or sign up for just £3.99 per month by direct debit or credit card.