Kane: ‘It was nice to be in a normal Saturday routine again’

COLERAINE defender Lyndon Kane admits it was ‘great to be back’ after making his comeback from injury in last weekend’s defeat of Ards…

The full-back had been sidelined with a metatarsal injury since April 2018, but was handed a start in midweek as the Bannsiders beat Portstewart in a friendly, before his inclusion against Colin Nixon’s side.

Speaking to colerainefc.com, the 21-year-old was delighted to see the squad recover from back-to-back defeats.

“It was great to be back,” he said.

“Recovering from the injury was gruelling but I’m buzzing to be over that and back playing.

“It has been tough missing out on the last day of the season and the Irish Cup Final as well.

“There was tough nights going to training at the University and you are looking out onto the pitch seeing the boys training.

“I’m delighted to be back and I have put in a lot of hard work over the past few months.

“It is a great feeling to get back and it is even nicer to get the three points.”

Kane was substituted with five minutes to go but he explained it was simply a precautionary measure to help seal all three points.

“I felt strong out there but towards the end my legs started to go a little so I felt it would be best for me and the team to go off and get some fresh legs in defence,” he added.

“I had an extra six weeks to recover this time around before I even started running again.

“I spent that extra time walking and building my legs back up so fingers crossed that is me getting back to normal.

“It has been well documented that we have been unlucky with injuries, I was out, as well as Ian Parkhill, James McLaughlin and Aaron Traynor.

“We have had suspensions to deal with but we are starting to get the squad back together.

“It is nice to have that little bit more quality on the bench so it is great.

“It is great to be back and offer something to the team again and I feel that the win will kick us on.”

Kane revealed he was in tears after the injury re-occurred last April but hopes previous experiences of having a setback will stand him in good stead moving forward.

“It was nice to be in a normal Saturday routine again knowing that I am back playing and being involved,” he concluded.

“It was tough, the first night was the toughest.

“I remember going home and I cried and I was gutted to be missing the remainder of the season.

“I had to come to terms with it and had been there before and I came back strong enough then.

“I was unlucky to pick up the injury again so I knew what to expect this time around.

“I was mentally stronger this time around because I had been there before and I have a lot of people around me to help me through the difficult situations.

“My friends, my family and team mates made it all a lot easier.”