Ivor Lawton describes his return to competitive action for the U23s following a long injury lay-off...
Midfielder Ivor Lawton was back in action for City's Development side yesterday as he played his first competitive game for over a year.
The 21-year old suffered severe knee ligament damage in an U23s tie with Crystal Palace last season, and spent the remainder of the campaign on the treatment table.
Having returned to fitness yesterday, Lawton was full of admiration for the City medical team who have nursed him through the past 12 months.
He said: “It's been a long 12 months to be honest, but I'm just buzzing to be back on the pitch. A special thank you goes to the physio team here, Dave, Jacob and Pauline.
“I thought I did okay today, I took it a little easy in certain aspects because I got advised to ease back into it rather than do anything stupid.
“I'm feeling really good in training, I've been with the first-team for the previous four weeks now just waiting for the opportunity to get out there. Hopefully I can improve as I get more game time in the coming weeks.”
The tough tackling midfielder, whose playing idol is Roy Keane, is a welcome addition to the midfield options for City with Chris McCann and Vladimir Gadzhev both sidelined.
Lawton added: “It is incredibly hard at times to stay motivated and positive, especially on the mental side because it's a really tough time and you can't alter or change the healing process.
“It's a horrible injury to have, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I've been looking forward to today like a little kid at Christmas, I just couldn't wait to play!”
“I've put the work in to prepare myself for this moment, and hopefully I'll continue to get stronger and push towards the first-team.”