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PLYMOUTH. — The final period of Plymouth Argyle’s pre-season football match against Bristol City on Saturday is likely the happiest 17 minutes Zimbabwean international defender Brendan Galloway has had in a long while.
The defender injured his knee in November and had to endure a long road to recovery. After lots of rehabilitation, and plenty of frustration in watching his team-mates in action, he returned to action on 73 minutes, as Argyle lost 1-0 to The Robins.
The result was largely immaterial to him. Actually, that is not true, as no defenders like conceding goals and losing games, at any time.
However, on this occasion, the bigger picture is the smaller details: pulling on the strip again, crossing the white line, being involved. His pleasure at being back in action was clear to see, after the game.
“Any time you step on the pitch and put the green shirt on to represent the club it’s a special feeling,” Galloway told Argyle TV. “It’s a big club, a great fanbase; a fanbase that gets behind the players all the time., To step back on the pitch, especially at home, is a great feeling. I’m just happy to be back amongst the lads, back on the pitch in front of the fans.
“I’ve enjoyed pre-season so far. It’s been tough, but there’s no better feeling.
“It feels like it has been ages, but we’ve got a good team, good staff, good players that helped me get through it, especially at the start when I couldn’t do much.
“It’s been a journey that I thank my team-mates and I thank the staff for helping me on.” There is a saying that every journey starts with a single step. These 17 minutes are the next step forward for Galloway, but while we all want to see him fully fit and playing regular, he still has a way to go. Fortunately, his recognises the value of not rushing his recovery. “I think I need to just ease my way back into it,” he said. — pafc.co.uk
Online Reporter