Ryan Strachan is looking forward to being pain-free for the first time in years after returning to Peterhead.
The 31-year-old defender has been troubled by Achilles injuries for years, which have prevented him from training properly.
But, after years of playing through the pain in his first spell with the Blue Toon and during his time with Cove Rangers, the Aberdonian is optimistic he has finally put his troubles behind him.
Strachan is recovering from double foot surgery, but is expected to be back in action in August.
The centre-back will return to duty with a new club after rejoining League 1 side Peterhead following five years with Cove Rangers.
The prospect of playing without any discomfort for the first time in recent memory is one which Strachan is excited about.
He said: “It has been frustrating having to wait a few weeks after agreeing everything with the club, but I’m delighted it has all been sorted out and I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my career after I’ve completed my recovery.
“I’m only three weeks post-op, but it’s all looking really positive and I can feel a difference already.
“Having double foot surgery was a big decision, but it already feels like it was the right one and I’m confident I’ll be back to 100%.”
Family walks were a struggle
Strachan, who is also a keen golfer, laid bare the extent of his discomfort and it is more than his football career which has been affected.
He said: “It has impacted everything, not just my training, but my home life, too.
“Everything in my day-to-day life has been affected – from being able to go for a walk with my family to going up and down steps.
“After a few steps, the pain would come on.
“For years I would play through it and have cortisone to treat it, but, after a while, even that method wasn’t working to the full and it meant I wasn’t able to train properly.
“It became clear I needed a longer-term fix.”
Dow joins Strachan in making Blue Toon return
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— Peterhead FC (@pfcofficial) June 23, 2022
While Dow has been training with his new team-mates, Strachan will have to be patient as recovers from his recent operation.
But it is clear the defender relishing the chance to play for Peterhead again, despite significant changes at the Blue Toon since he left in 2017.
He said: “It’s funny, I’m going to a club of 15 of 16 boys and I’m the new guy coming in, but I’m also the most experienced player at the club in terms of the number of games I’ve played for Peterhead.
“In the time I’ve been away, the personnel has changed a bit and I’m sure the way the club works has changed, too, but I’ll find out soon enough.
“I went along to training on Wednesday just to say hello and meet everyone and I can’t wait to get going again.”