Defender George Taft was happy with the result of the home game against automatic promotion candidates Tranmere Rovers, in which he made his return to the starting line-up after an ankle injury.
The 27-year-old returned to the team on Saturday after six weeks out, with the Iron drawing 0-0 and keeping a third clean sheet in four games.
Reacting to the fixture, he told iFollow Iron: “I’m buzzing, I got told that my season could be over and to come back really early and get the minutes so soon is a positive feeling.
“It was a complete rupture of one of the ligaments in my ankle which in a sense made it a bit easier because the complete rupture meant no pulling or pain involved. I just had to get the swelling down and crack on with my rehab.”
He added: “12 weeks is what they said initially - that would have taken me into the off-season but there was no pain so as soon as the swelling went down, I could crack on with rehab and progress quickly. The medical staff have been amazing and got me back fit.
“It was the strangest injury I’ve ever had where you're injured but you’re not in pain. No pain at all, but that helped me to get back fit and push myself.”
Reflecting on the defensive shut-out against Tranmere, who sat third before the game, he said: “As a defender that’s what we want, we want the clean sheet and to get the minutes under my belt after so long felt so good. They play some good football; up front they were sharp and they keep you on your toes, so it’s about staying in the game as long as you can. It’s about trying to steal one at the other end, which we almost did.”
Commenting on his performance, Taft said: “It’s hard to come back in after such a long time out. I’ve been back training a week; I’ve had a good week of training and everyone’s been great with me. I was tired towards the end but there's no trouble with my ankle which is positive, so I felt like I did well with a clean sheet.”
Taft took a knock at the start of the second half, and he said: “The lad just landed on my ankle, it was a little bit sore at the time but it eased off and I got on with it. I think everyone wants to play as much as they can. I just want to get back going and get the games in.”
The Iron have suffered in terms of injuries over the course of the season, and Taft said: “There was a little bit of pressure (due to the shortage of options at centre-back) but the gaffer's been great with me. He has seen how I felt and if I wanted to go out there. I feel really good so I wanted to take the opportunity.”
Looking ahead to the next game on Tuesday away against fifth-placed Morecambe, the defender said: “We’ve just got to rest up now. It’ll be a tricky game, they’re doing well. It’ll be a different match than today's but I’m looking forward to it."
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