adminCurtworth Masango
ZIMBABWE international and Plymouth Argyle defender, Brendan Galloway, has hailed his teammates for their support as he battled long-term injury.
The 26-year-old sustained a knee injury in November last year, in their 3-0 League One defeat to Wycombe Wanderers, at Home Park.
And, he only returned to action last weekend, when he came on as a 72nd minute substitute, in the 0-1 defeat to Bristol City.
“It felt great, it has been a long journey full of ups and downs but I’m thankful that I had my teammates, the staff, the manager, all supporting me and helping me along the way.
“It’s nice to be back on the pitch and be back in green,” he told Plymouth Live.
“It was frustrating, I was really down about it, the first few weeks after it happened.
“I couldn’t really do much but injuries do happen in football.
“It’s a part of the game.
“My job then was to support the lads, keep them going and I think they did great.
“They gave 100 per cent, I’m proud of what they did.” Following his return to action, after eight months, Galloway said he was ready to fight for his place in the team.
“Now, hopefully, I can come back in and compete.
“I knew straight away.
“My head was all over the place, loads of emotions going through my mind, but I’m thankful for the players, they were all behind me.
“They were all texting asking to come around the next day to see me.
“The gaffer, the staff came over. Straight away, I knew I had that support, so that makes the journey a bit easier,” he said.
Galloway also hailed the medical team for their efforts and was looking forward to regaining his fitness. “They are looking after me. Earlier on, there were certain things that I couldn’t do and they weren’t rushing it.
“It’s a great thing that we have got people like that at this club, the staff and the medical team, putting the players first.
“When I came to go full contact, it was great to be back tackling, getting tackled, blocking shots.
“It’s a journey and I don’t want to go from zero to 100.
“I don’t think that’s the right thing to do, I don’t think the staff think that is the right thing to do.
“We need to be patient, we need to build up, we need to just make sure that I keep on getting stronger and fitter.
“Then, hopefully, I can compete,” he added.
Galloway said he was looking forward to a better season ahead.
“We are a tight group. I think it’s a squad that can compete and challenge.
“We always want to improve, we did well last season and it was disappointing to not get in the play-offs, but that’s a part of football.
“We can’t look backwards. That’s done, it’s a new season.
“Now, we are ready to progress and the squad looks stronger so we are going to be ready,” he said.
Online Reporter