ROCHDALE have been handed a massive boost by the news that 'keeper Neil Edwards' second knee operation has proved a 'complete success'.

The ever popular Edwards has turned out for the first-team only five times this season after being plagued by knee trouble since last August's fixture against Plymouth.

He went under the surgeon's knife for a second time yesterday (Wednesday) after a first operation last September failed to remedy the problem, resulting in the briefest of comebacks against Lincoln last November.

But the surgeon in charge of the 31-year-old's latest operation is convinced that the Welshman should be able to put his knee troubles behind him.

"The operation was a complete success. We managed to find some debris within the joint, which we flushed out to hopefully clear Neil's problems. We also flushed behind his knee cap which again had some excess tissue behind it," he told the club's official website.

Due to Edwards' enforced absence, Dale yesterday extended Bolton's Steve Banks' loan deal with the club for another month.

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