Fit-again striker David McGoldrick has spoken of his frustration at spending months on the sidelines through injury.
McGoldrick, who has returned to the fold with substitute appearances at Wolves and at home to Charlton in the past week, admitted: "It’s great to be involved. Just travelling up to Wolves on the bus with the boys, being part of the first team scene, was a big thing for me because it’s been so long.
"Getting a few minutes there and then 25 or so on Tuesday against Charlton, it’s good to be back out there and playing again. I’m looking to get as much football as I can but the main thing this weekend is that we take the three points from Brentford at Portman Road.”
Before his brief return to action at Molineux last weekend McGoldrick had been absent since the 1-0 win at MK Dons in December last year in a stop-start season that has seen him net three times, a meagre return for someone who bagged 16 goals in 34 appearances during 2013/14, his first full season at the club.
But McGoldrick has taken a philosophical approach to his problems, adding: "There’s nothing you can do about it. Injuries are part and parcel of the game and there are plenty of players who suffer.
"All you can do is work hard to get back and keep striving to improve as a player. It will be nice to go out and score a few goals to get the fans singing my name again. Every footballer wants that and hopefully it will come soon.
"My hamstring feels fine and I’ve been back in training for four weeks now. I’ve been doing everything, including sprinting, and it feels good. I’ll keep on top of it in the gym and carry on doing what I have to do to make it better and make sure I stay free from that specific injury.
"I feel I have enough to start and maybe give it a go for an hour or 75 minutes but that’s not down to me. It’s down to the boss, as it always is, and everyone respects him and his decisions. I’ve been working for him for three years so he’ll know when I’m ready.”
McGoldrick can’t wait to celebrate his fourth goal of the season and added: "It will be good because the last one was ages ago, a penalty against Brighton I think, and it was so long ago I had to have a real think about when it was and who it was against.
"Before the hamstring problem I was out for a month with a groin injury, so it’s been about five months that I’ve been out altogether. It’s been a long time but it’s great that I’m back playing again — that’s the main thing.”
Asked when he is likely to be back to his best, McGoldrick replied: "I really don’t know. You’ve got to play games and I’m no miracle worker.
"You can be fit but you need games to get your sharpness and your match fitness back. There are six games left and I don’t know how many minutes I’ll get but I’m hoping to show some kind of form before the end of the season and put in a few goals.
"The way I look at it I’ve just been unlucky in picking up injuries. One was when I had a shot with my left foot at Rotherham, when I should have come off but I tried to play on for about half an hour and that made it worse. The knee injury was a freak one — my foot just landed and it twisted.
"The hamstring was another freak one when I did a back-heel in training and it just went. I’d never had a hamstring injury in my life until then — I never thought I was quick enough to get one!
"I’d just come back from a groin injury when it happened and straight away I knew I’d done something so I went and sat in the dug-out for 20 minutes.
"I had to get time away in Nottingham because I didn’t want to be around the boys, feeling all sad, at the time. They were on a good run at the time and then they went to Fulham the next day and picked up another win.
"I didn’t want to be around them being a bit sulky so the gaffer gave me some time off. When I came back I had a smile on my face and was part of the group again.”