Returning to training with Go Ahead Eagles, for the first time in more than eight months, signified a big step for Frank Ross.
A cruciate ligament injury sustained in a cup game against VVV Venlo in January has kept the ex-Aberdeen midfielder out for most of this year and added to his list of recent injury setbacks.
Seeing Go Ahead, based in the city of Deventer 90 minutes east of Amsterdam, reach the Eredivisie and take on some Dutch giants in his absence has added to Ross’ urge to get back.
He believes it will take him another few weeks of training before he can play a game, which may well come in the next international break. His club boss Kees van Wonderen told local media last month it would be difficult for Ross to play a game before the winter break.
But returning the grass with his team-mates this month is a huge step on his route to recovery.
“We play Ajax on November 7 and three days later, there’s a friendly game,” said Ross. “I’ll play in that I think.
“It’s been eight-and-a-half months and it has felt a long time. But I’ve broken it up with two visits home.
“It was a relief getting on the training field, 100 per cent. The banter is better, you’re not stuck in the physio room everyday.”
He has done his best to remain positive. Players in the squad have rallied around him and the Eagles’ medical team have provided valuable support.
Ross returned to Scotland for surgery with the renowned specialist Gordon Mackay, at Ross Hall in Glasgow, after seeking advice from former Dons colleagues Mark Reynolds and Scott Wright.
“Mark was back in six months and we were aiming for six months as well,” added Ross. “But it wasn’t feeling too good so I went and got an injection in my knee. That set me back but eight-and-a-half months isn’t bad for an ACL injury.
“The players here know what it’s like. A few of them have also done their ACL and know what it’s like to have a bad injury. They group together and support each other.”
The game against Groningen on November 21 is a target for his first Eredivisie game. The injury and the Covid-19 pandemic has meant he has yet to show his true potential in the Netherlands, having made the move from his native north-east last year.
He managed 18 appearances in red and yellow last season before succumbing to injury, with the former Scotland youth international focused now on one concrete goal.
“Having that dream in your head, thinking that this is why you’re doing these sessions to get back on the pitch, has been the biggest help. It’s a focus, an end goal.
“There’s nothing better than playing football. I just want to get back playing, get back on the pitch. More than anything.”