TITUS Bramble is back in the Sunderland fold after the club were forced to end his suspension from first-team duties.

Bramble is expected to attend training at the Black Cats' Academy of Light for the first time in six weeks later today and will be available for selection for the club's next fixture against Fulham on Saturday, November 19.

The 30-year-old defender was suspended after he was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and possession of a class A drug in September.

The drugs charge has been dropped, and Bramble has subsequently passed a drugs test.

However, he has been charged with two counts of sexual assault and urinating in a public place, and will appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court tomorrow. His lawyer insists he "vehemently denies" the allegations.

A Sunderland statement released yesterday said: "Sunderland AFC has confirmed that following a full investigation, defender Titus Bramble has been fined and given the maximum sanction permitted for bringing the club's name into disrepute.

"The club can also confirm that the allegation of a drug-related offence has been dropped and that he has tested negative for all banned substances, as he has done in all previous drug tests carried out throughout his career."

Bramble's fine for bringing Sunderland into disrepute is understood to have been several weeks' wages, and not just the two-week levy that is normally the maximum that a club can impose.

His six-week suspension is the maximum permissable under UK employment law, meaning that with the month-and-a-half deadline passing today, Black Cats officials were unable to maintain the hardline stance they had adopted since Bramble's arrest.

It remains to be seen, however, whether manager Steve Bruce decides to include the defender in his squad for the Fulham game.

Bramble has kept himself fit during his suspension, and is hoping to secure a first-team return with injury doubts continuing to surround fellow defender John O'Shea.

In Bramble's absence, Michael Turner has established himself as one half of Sunderland's first-choice centre-half pairing, and the former Hull defender claims his side's return of ten points from 11 matches is not a fair reflection of how they have been playing this season.

"We can take encouragement from the performances we've been putting in," said Turner, who has started Sunderland's last five matches. "But it is frustrating that we have not got more points than we have on the board.

"Even though it was against Man United, the game at the weekend sort of summed our season up really. We have been playing quite well, but we haven't been getting the points on the board which is why we've been towards the wrong end of the table really. I am sure if we continue what we are doing, the wins will come."

Meanwhile, Asamoah Gyan insists he has no regrets about leaving Sunderland in acrimonious circumstances in September.

Gyan joined UAE side Al-Ain on a season-long loan, with Bruce suggesting the striker had moved purely for financial gain.

Gyan has scored two goals in three matches to help Al-Ain move into second spot in the UAE league, and the Ghana international, who has been in London to promote the African Cup of Nations, claims he is happy with the way things have turned out.

"I'm really enjoying myself," he said. "It's really working out well for me and I'm really happy for now. I have no regrets at all about leaving Sunderland because everyone supported me, my family, everyone was positive so I moved without any doubt.

It wasn't a difficult decision. I made the decision and it was Sunderland who agreed on the deal. It was Sunderland and me who did the deal. I couldn't have gone unless they agreed. There was no problem.

I know people will be wondering why I moved to the Middle East, but it's up to me."