Fit-again midfielder Luke Hyam has expressed his delight at finally returning to Town action for the first time in almost a year.
Hyam was originally injured in the FA Cup replay defeat at home by Southampton back in January and then required knee surgery in the summer, which delayed his Town comeback until eight minutes into the second half of Tuesday’s 1-0 win at Brighton.
The occasion clearly meant a lot to the former Northgate High School pupil as he ended almost 12 months of frustration by coming off the pitch wearing an ear-to-ear grin having contributed to his side’s club record-equalling feat of clocking up five successive away wins for the first time in 39 years.
Hyam said: "First and foremost it was a great result from the boys and on a personal level I was just pleased to get back on the pitch, especially as it was for about 35 or 40 minutes, which was good.
"It was just such a great result from the boys because it’s not easy going down to Brighton. It’s a lovely stadium but the pitch is massive and they have been flying this season. All round it was a great night.”
He admitted it was an emotional occasion, adding: "I love the club so much and I was just happy to be back.
"It had been almost a year since I played — a long, hard year. But it was all worthwhile when I got back on the pitch, especially to be back making my first appearance in such a long time.
"Every footballer gets injuries and goes through patches where they can’t play. It’s not nice but you just have to brace yourself and be strong.
"You need to have the right people around you and it’s never easy for any player in similar circumstances.
"But as I’ve said before, I believe it is an experience that is only going to make me stronger in the future and I hope I can just push on from here.
"The manager has been first class; the same with TC and all the staff, the medical people and of course all the boys.
"I can only thank them really. Even when I was out on loan at Rotherham for a month the gaffer and everyone kept in contact, which was a nice touch as well.”
Asked how he coped mentally Hyam responded: "My girlfriend probably got the brunt of my frustration. It was hard after the surgery, being stuck in bed for a few weeks, which wasn’t nice.
"Luckily, I had all my family and friends around me and that made it a lot easier. They all helped to motivate me to keep going and I can only thank them all and say how grateful I am to be where I am now.
"It was so good to hear the fans chanting my name the other night. I appreciate their support so much and I received a lot of messages from them during the time I was out injured. I’ll always be grateful to them for that.”