Danny Coyne has told Tony Mowbray he wants to carry on goalkeeping in to his 40s after declaring himself fit for Middlesbrough's relegation run-in.

Coyne has endured an injury-wrecked second season at the Riverside Stadium and he could face further torment now he has made a full recovery.

The 37-year-old, who has a year remaining on his contract, would ordinarily have slotted straight in to the team when Jason Steele was forced off during the 5-2 defeat at Reading on March 5.

But surgery on a back problem and a long-term double hernia complaint meant Mowbray had to sign Nottingham Forest's Paul Smith on loan until the end of the campaign.

Now Coyne is fit again and keen to make up for lost time, although he accepts Smith's solid displays - which have left Boro unbeaten in three - mean there is unlikely to be a change when Leicester visit this weekend.

"I was unfortunate," said Coyne, who last played at Burton in early January and has not figured in the Championship since the opening day of the season.

"Paul has come in and we get on great. I have enjoyed working with him. Jason might be out for the rest of the season, Paul is here until then. There's only one position for us and I am just glad to be training again. It is up to the manager and if he thinks I am ready then I am ready."

Coyne is half way through studying for his A licence coaching qualification and has long term aspirations to slot in to a backroom team.

But despite the fact he will be 38 in August, Coyne has no plans to retire just yet - and hopes to convince Mowbray he can do a job for Boro.

"If I can keep going as long as I can then great," he said. "I do not want to go straight in to coaching now, I would like to keep playing.

"At the minute there are lads in the Premier League playing at 40 or so, there have been players at 47, so we will see. I would like to do that.

"The older you get the more appreciative of what you are doing. If Stephen Pears (Boro goalkeeper coach) - who I respect - came to me and said ‘you are slow and not looking sharp', then I would think about it. But I still feel I can keep up with the young lads."

Coyne is not the only player available action after injury after Irishman Willo Flood came through his first reserves game since suffering a knee injury against Ipswich in August.

Flood played an hour of the second string's 1-0 defeat at Elland Road and he was joined in the team by Andrew Davies and Stephen McManus - both making further progress after their own injury problems.

* Danny Coyne was speaking at Yarm Primary School when he chatted with children about his favourite book as part of the club's Community Champions programme.