Striker Freddie Sears says his rehabilitation from the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury he suffered in the Norwich game in February has gone well so far and he is looking forward to getting back in action next season.
"I’m feeling good. It’s good to be back in and around the boys,” the 29-year-old told the club site. "It’s okay, the surgery is done now so I’m doing my rehab.
"It’s a slow and steady process but I’m trying to get back walking and get back on the bike.
"You have to retrain the legs and retrain the mind. You probably take for granted how easy walking is and at the minute I’m doing a lot in the gym trying to get my walking pattern back.
"I’m feeling better every day, though. Finding out the news a few days after the Norwich game was tough, especially knowing that it’s going to be a long road back.
"Then I had to wait for the surgery but that went well so that was positive. It’s not an easy injury to put right and there’s a long recovery so it’s mentally tough and I’m looking forward to getting back and feeling the rewards from my hard work.”
Sears, still Town’s top scorer this season with six goals, says it was hardly a crunching challenge which led to the injury.
"There was nothing to it,” he recalled. "The ball slightly overran and it was a straight leg tackle. I couldn’t stop so my momentum took me into their player [Tom Trybull] and sometimes when you end up in that position, bad things happen.
"I tried to play on and I probably had five minutes running around with no ACL but it was probably the adrenaline of the game that kept me going until I couldn’t continue. The physios have been brilliant so I’m looking forward to getting back now.”
The injury is likely to sideline the former West Ham and Colchester man for at least nine months but he says he has a date pencilled in for his return.
"I’ve got a timeframe in my head but I’m not really sure the physios and the surgeon will agree with it!” he added.
"I’m just going to see how it goes and take it step by step. I’ll see how I’m feeling along the way but it’s been good so far so we’ll see what the next few months bring.”
Sears is far from the only Town player currently out with a long-term injury with Grant Ward and Ben Morris also having undergone ACL surgery and Ben Folami out with an achilles problem.
Central defender Matthew Pennington returned to parent club Everton last week to undergo surgery on an ankle ligament injury sustained in training, while Emyr Huws and Tom Adeyemi are yet to appear this season due to knee and achilles injuries respectively, although the Welshman is now in U23s action.
"Wardy and I will be working hard in the summer, and Ben Morris had the same injury too, so he’ll be doing the same and we’ll all be pushing each other to get back,” Sears continued.
"It’s tough coming in and seeing the boys go out to train as I just want to go out there.
"Anyone that knows me knows I just want to play football. I’m not one to be in the gym all day, I’d rather just be out there, but I’ve had to take a step back from that and now I’m just waiting for the day I can get back out on the grass and return to football.”