Fit-again Town midfielder Teddy Bishop, who made his first appearance of the season as a second-half substitute in the 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday, has revealed he was a victim of online “stick” from some fans during his absence with injury but also had plenty of goodwill messages from supporters.
Bishop, 21, said: "I’ve had a little bit of stick but you can’t help being injured. It’s a lot worse for me than it is for anyone else because it’s horrible being out injured for any length of time.
"I’ve had some stick but I try not to take any notice of these people. I’ve got the support of my family and friends and, most importantly, the gaffer.
"I try not to read the stuff people are saying about me because if you read into it you can really be affected by it. Luckily, I’ve got good people around me and they just tell me not to take any notice of it.
"It hurts a little bit but they tend to be the same people who were saying, when I played before, that I was the greatest thing that’s happened. I think that’s just football.
"The fans are frustrated that I’m not out there so they take out their frustration somewhere else. But most of the fans have been really good with me — they’ve been patient and I’ve had a lot of nice messages from them.
"When I had my hernia operation a couple of months ago I had tons of people messaging me and telling me to get well soon.
"Generally, the fans have been good with me and it means a lot. You’re almost a forgotten man when you’re out of action with a long-term injury so it’s been good to get the backing of so many of them.”
Nothing had been seen of Cambridge-born Bishop, an academy recruit from the age of eight, at senior level this season until he replaced Dominic Iorfa in the 76th minute at Villa Park and after no adverse reaction he will be hoping to be involved again when Town play their game in hand at Derby tomorrow.
Bishop burst on to the first team scene over three years ago, making his league debut in a 1-1 draw at Derby on August 30th 2014, and was rapidly earning rave reviews to the extent that he was being linked with several Premier League clubs, predominantly Arsenal, after a series of eye-catching displays.
He clocked up a total of 36 appearances in all competitions as Town reached the play-offs but in the 2015/16 season he only added a further four — just two as starts — and last term he managed to clock up just 20 first team outings, including seven starts, as a host of injury problems sidelined him for long spells.
Bishop added: "I’ve been through a lot for a 21-year-old but hopefully the experiences I’ve had so far can help me in the latter years of my career.
"I’ve matured and grown up in my time out and I’ve learned how to manage my body — probably more than I should have needed to for someone of my age.
"Now it’s just a case of making sure I continue to look after myself and kicking on from there. I must carry on with the work in the gym, as well as on the pitch.
"I had hernia surgery two months ago, that was my latest one. I’ve been struggling with my groin for a few months and that was the main problem. I’ve had all sorts of problems because I was still growing and growing up, getting used to the game.
"I had hamstrings and they were all related. It didn’t help that I was still growing at an age when most people have stopped, but I think I’ve stopped now.
"Getting stronger will help all of that and I think I’m over everything at last. It’s all sorted and I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been, and hopefully it’s all behind me.
"Despite the scoreline it was great to be back out there on Saturday and I want to thank the manager for keeping patient with me. Hopefully, I can get some more minutes going forward.
"I’ve taken quite a long time to get back from this one to make sure I’m really strong. I’ve done a lot of hard work in the gym and while it’s been hard hopefully it will be pay off for me.
"Maybe there were times when I tried to come back too soon, I don’t really know. The physios have done really well with me and from my point of view I think I’ve just been very unlucky. I’ve had a lot of repetitive injuries but hopefully that’s all behind me now.”