JUST nine weeks after he lay in agony on the Sixways turf, Lee Fortey is back.

The sight of the 30-year-old receiving oxygen on the pitch after he dislocated his left shoulder in a friendly in August took much of the shine off Worcester's pre-season optimism.

But, in a surprisingly short period of time, Fortey has managed to get his arm back in working order.

The front-row star has also had to fight a mental battle, which he feels he is well on the way to winning.

"The shoulder is feeling good at the moment," he said. "I did some scrummaging on Tuesday and came away from that feeling pretty positive.

"Originally they said three months but it's about coming back when you feel right.

"You can train and you can take the hits but it's about peace of mind."

Fortey is set to play some part in tomorrow's European Challenge Cup match against Amatori Catania and the parallels from his last appearance will be inescapable.

It was against Italian opponents -- Benetton Treviso -- that he suffered the initial injury.

But the England Counties player is no stranger to bitter twists of fate. Last year his playing time was severely restricted by a completely separate injury to the same shoulder.

Fortunately, Fortey is not the type to get down on his luck. He is regarded as one of the real characters in the Sixways dressing room and his cheerful outlook has helped him to come through the dark days.

"It's just a matter of staying positive and being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel," he said.

"For two weeks I could do absolutely nothing. I was just trying to get the movement back. It's all about doing the right stuff in the right position.

"The left arm was 30 per cent weaker than the right-hand side. The deficit is now down to about eight to ten per cent."

Another person who has helped aid Fortey's rehabilitation has been twin brother Chris, who joined the club from Gloucester -- the city of their birth -- in the summer.

Like Lee, Chris spent a significant time on the sidelines last season after breaking his ankle but has now forced his way into the team -- ironically because first-choice hooker Andre Van Niekerk has also dislocated his shoulder.

Now the two brothers have the opportunity to line up next to each other in the Worcester front row.

"It's nice to be alongside each other and to be on each other's shoulder," said Lee. "He knows what I'm going through and he's been positive."

Lee's return to fitness is timely to say the least.

As well as Van Niekerk's three-month absence, Wor-cester are also preparing for life without inspirational number three Chris Horsman, who is currently suspended but will be linking up with Wales for the whole of November.

American Mike MacDonald can play on either side of the scrum and Tongan Tevita Taumoepeau is a specialist tight-head but Lee Fortey can play in any of the three front-row positions.

After missing Worcester's impressive start to the season he is now desperate to make up for lost time.

"Hopefully I can get back into the squad on a regular basis and show what I can do," he said.