Aberdeen Women midfielder Eva Thomson has opened up on her “frustrating” spell on the sidelines after sustaining a concussion injury.
The 18-year-old suffered the head knock in training after hitting her head off the goalpost and missed five SWPL 1 games before returning against Dundee United on February 8.
Thomson has featured in four of Aberdeen‘s five matches since her return – starting three – but admits she has found integrating back into the squad difficult, after her absence.
The midfielder said: “At the start of the year, I was out for a while. It was meant to be two weeks but because of my age, we were told it had to be extended.
“I ended up missing quite a few games and that was a step back for me.
“Other players then come into my position, so when I came back to training and playing it was harder for me to get back into the team.
“The others are playing and they’re obviously getting fitter, while I wasn’t allowed to train.
“It’s been hard to get back in the squad and that’s shown because I’ve not been playing as much, so it has been frustrating.”
‘I don’t think I’m where I should be at the moment’
The young midfielder admits she’s not at the level she should be, but Thomson is committed to working hard to get back to the standard that earned her a semi-professional contract last season.
Thomson added: “I can’t just blame the concussion because it’s my own performances as well, I don’t think I’m where I should be at the moment. I know I still need to step it up.
“It was frustrating being out for that amount of time, but I just need to work on getting better and try to perform the best I can in training to get back in the team.
“My confidence is quite low at the moment, but I think all players have these spells in football.
“I was away with Scotland under-19s but didn’t play, so I think that has knocked my confidence a bit as well.
“I know I just need to get back to where I was and that’ll take time. I’ll work hard to get fitter and improve.”
Aberdeen Women return to action against Glasgow Women on Sunday after a fortnight’s break for their first fixture following the SWPL 1 split.
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