Former club skipper Purse left City last summer after four years and manager Jones said: "Darren was a fantastic signing, a hard worker and a great leader around the club. We have had to bring in players who are good replacements."

Purse is expected to play for Wednesday tomorrow as City go for a victory at Hillsborough, the graveyard of their play-off hopes on the final day of last season.Purse was in the Cardiff line-up that day, but Dave said: "We can't worry about last season. We must keep our mind focused on getting three points. Winning there won't put last season right.

"Getting the points is enough motivation, and anyway, about half our squad weren't here last season. But yes, the other half will have that motivation.

"Darren has joined a club with a good history. They have been in the Premier League, and their fans have high expectations, But with the progress Cardiff City have made in recent years, our fans are expecting the same.

"Wednesday are capable of a lot, but so are a lot of clubs in this division because the gap between top and bottom is so very tight."

Dave revealed that loan star Kelvin Etuhu, who damaged his ankle in the game against Newcastle, could be out for up to 12 weeks. He said: "Kelvin's ankle was opened up under anaesthetic, and the good news is he will not need pinning. But the recovery time is still two to three months.

"There is no chance of any loan action at the moment, although we need two players. I'll sit down with the chairman. One place where we haven't got competition is in the forward line. That can breed complacency, although there's no sign of it so far.

"Strikers go through spells with no goals. Against Villa we created good chances against a good defence, but we could still be playing against QPR now without scoring. Our strikers need to get their confidence back and they will start knocking them in. Another important point is that our set plays have disappointed me over the past few weeks, so we're working on them."

Better injury news is that Kevin McNaughton (foot) and Warren Feeney (hip) will start light training next week, while hamstring victim Ross McCormack is due back in two to three weeks.

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