Western Sydney Wanderers striker Mark Bridge hopes to return to the training field tomorrow

WESTERN Sydney Wanderers winger Mark Bridge hopes to return to the training field tomorrow to prove his fitness for Sunday's A-League grand final.

WESTERN Sydney Wanderers winger Mark Bridge hopes to return to the training field tomorrow to prove his fitness for Sunday's A-League grand final against Central Coast Mariners.

The club's leading goalscorer has missed this week's training sessions after having a cortisone injection in his ankle on Sunday.

Bridge noticed severe swelling on his ankle during last Friday's 2-0 semi-final win over Brisbane Roar.

"At half-time I felt a bit sore but I couldn't remember whether I got a knock or rolled over on it," Bridge told the Penrith Press.

"I continued playing but when the game finished and I took my boot and sock off my ankle was three times the size of the other one.

"I had the cortisone injection to get the swelling down. It's tough because you can't do anything on it for a few days.

"It's improved every day since the injection, so it is doing its job.

"I'll do everything I possibly can to get on the pitch. It is the last 90 or 120 (if it goes to extra time) minutes of the season and I am sure I can play with a little pain."

The Wanderers will be without influential winger Youssouf Hersi, who was shown a red card last week.

Bridge has won two grand finals - with Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC - but cannot wait to run out for his hometown team.

"I'm expecting to see a sea of red and black when I walk on to the field," he said. "My grand final experiences prepares me for what to expect during the week, the night before and on game day, but when you get on that pitch it's all about that moment.

"(The Mariners) are a very good side who are disciplined at the back like us. It should be a cracker."