Caley Thistle midfielder Aaron Doran is determined to come back better than ever after making his first appearance in 13 months.
Doran has been sidelined since last summer following a serious knee injury which required reconstructive surgery but made his return in the 1-0 Betfred Cup loss to Alloa on Tuesday night.
The Irishman had been an impressive performer for Caley Jags since making the move from Blackburn Rovers in 2011, following a successful loan from the Lancashire club earlier that year.
After coming on for the final 16 minutes of the loss to the Wasps, Doran believes his best is yet to come, and he said: “It felt good to be on the pitch. Even though I’ve been out for 13 months I felt sharp. I’ve been angry to be on the bench but I can see where the manager is coming from, trying to protect me.
“I just want to be out there playing. It felt good but unfortunately we didn’t get the result we wanted.
“I trained with the rest of the squad in pre-season but didn’t play in any of the games. The last week or so I felt sharper and hopefully I can push on a bit more in the next few days.
“I want to come back a better player than I was before. It’s been a hard 13 months stuck in the gym, so I just want to get out there every day and try to do well for the team.”
Doran feared for his future before agreeing a two-year contract extension in May and is determined to repay the Highlanders’ faith.
He added: “The new contract was really big because I was worrying towards January. The manager now had a word with a few people at the club back then and I got a good deal, so I just want to try to help the club in any way I can.
“Being out for a year showed me how much I miss football and I took it for granted when I was fit. It hurt to be out, so I’m looking forward to pushing on.”
