Callum O'Hare couldn't contain his delight at being back involved with the Sky Blues, following his return to action against Rotherham United.
The midfielder had spent 10 months on the sidelines, after picking up an ACL injury on Boxing Day 2022 against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
Months of rehab finally resulted in O'Hare coming off the bench at the New York Stadium, for his first minutes in 2023.
O'Hare told how it was the 'worst feeling' being injured, but now he is looking forward to being back and playing in front of the Sky Blue Army.
Return to action against Rotherham…
“It was great to be back on the pitch. It’s the best feeling in the world and it had been a long time.”
“It was normal for me being back out there. It was just about me working my way into it and try and make some chances. But obviously it wasn't our day.”
How he felt being injured…
“It was the worst feeling ever I said to my family, when you see when people have been injured for a long time before, I've never been injured or missed a game and I didn't understand it.
“But now I understand what they went through and it’s the worst thing ever, especially when you're watching through the window on the bike when they're all training outside.
“Especially last year when they were doing so well and competing in them big games. That was probably the worst bit.”
Still work to do…
“It’s hard to stay patient but obviously you’ve got to be patient with these sorts of things.
“I’ve still got some work to do, and I need to still be patient. Obviously, you can't just play a couple minutes and then just go all steam ahead, you’ve got to be patient and be smart.”
Not being able to watch games…
“Honestly, I couldn't go to some of the matches because it gets me depressed. So, I had to sit down and watch at home because at home is different on the screen.
“When you can see the players live it's worse.”
The reception from the Sky Blue Army…
“It was a great feeling. I mean, honestly, I miss them so much and playing in front of them.
“As footballers we play football for the fans and I hadn’t seen them for so long and it’s been tough, but it was a great reception.
“I can’t wait to play in front of the home fans again as well, honestly that's all I’ve thought about.”
The team this season…
“We've got a good team. We've got great players. I mean, once we start playing, we’ve got to start putting some results together and climb the table.
“It's really good in training and you can tell straight away that we've got some great players so that's been good. And hopefully we can put some shows.
“Look what happened last year and we’ve got to start doing that this year and then you never know what can happen.”
Focusing on getting fit…
“I've haven’t spoken much about anything. Honestly, I said to my agent, I said, Listen, I'm injured and all I want to do is just focus on football, getting back playing, be fit and then when I'm back, we can start talking properly.
“You won't understand unless you've been injured. All you want we want to do is just play football. So, when you're in the gym every day, you’re not thinking about contract, you’re just thinking about playing football, and now I'm back I'm focusing on getting fit and playing in front of the fans again.”
Speaking with Jodi Jones about the injury…
“A couple times to be fair, he's given me advice and things to do and to help and like if, say, if something didn't feel quite right, at some point, I'd message him and he's like, yeah, that's normal.
“He has been a big help and it's unbelievable to see what he's doing in a minute. I mean, he's ripping it up so I'm so happy for him.”