Ross County forward Alex Samuel is determined to emerge stronger after stepping up his return from a cruciate ligament injury.
Welsh forward Samuel has been sidelined since February, after suffering the injury in training.
It came as a cruel blow to the 27-year-old, who had made just six appearances for the Staggies after making the deadline day move from Wycombe Wanderers last summer.
Following a lengthy period of rehabilitation, during which he was regularly given dispensation to spend time away from the club by manager Malky Mackay, Samuel has attempted to build back his fitness.
Samuel struck a key milestone in his path to recovery last week, however, when he took part in a training session for the first time since his injury.
Following a difficult period, Samuel is finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Samuel said: “It’s only last Wednesday I was out on the pitch again.
“I got my boots on, and they were probably the most crusty boots I have ever put on in my life.
“I was having a joke with Keith Watson, asking him how I put these things on. It seems such a long time – It’s about five months now since the injury happened.
“I’m progressing well and I’m really happy with it.
“It was really difficult. Especially as a new player coming in, you want to hit the mark running.
“It has been a really tough year, I can’t lie about that.
“I think that’s just football, you go through these periods. With my faith, and good people around me, it has really helped me through.
“I feel mentally and physically, I will probably come back even stronger than I was before that, which is the good thing about it.”
Samuel reflects on challenges he faced during lay-off
In the days that immediately followed his injury setback, even the most simple of day-to-day tasks required assistance.
Samuel considers the injury to be the most serious of his career, but he says the help of County’s staff and team-mates has kept his spirits up during the lay-off.
He added: “In that first couple of days, my wife had to help me shower. I couldn’t even bend down.
“Those kinds of everyday struggles are the things that aren’t really talked about in football.
There is no testimony without a test! My surgery was a success, Happy to get it done and now on the road to recovery!
I've been here before so let's see what God does through this 🙏🏻🔥 pic.twitter.com/LaVFj8ENLo— Alex Samuel (@Alex_Samuel95) April 15, 2022
“It’s just the basic stuff, like getting up and down, and even going to the toilet.
“It’s amazing to see the progress now, but also seeing where I have come from through it, and just being happy and content with where I am right now.
“When I was at Stevenage, I had a chipped bone in my ankle. It could have been a quick six-week spell, but it was prolonged for about nine months because it went undetected.
“I have experienced a long length, but this was probably the first real major one where I knew when I did it on the pitch, I could hear the crunch going in the knee.
“It’s the worst feeling when that happens.
“Mentally, it has not been easy. The physios have been amazing, as have the whole staff. They have all been supportive, along with the players.
“They have just helped me through each day. Sometimes when you have a timeframe and you don’t hit it, they just tell me to take each day as it comes.
“That’s what I have done. Everything has been going really well and progressing in the right direction.”
‘Baby steps’ required in order to complete road to recovery
Samuel admits he still has some way to go before he will be in contention for a return to the field.
The former Swansea City striker, who had a previous spell in Scottish football with Morton, added: “For me now, I will still be in the gym most days, working on getting the strength in and around my knee.
“It’s like baby steps now to progress. I was on the pitch just doing a few strides and warm-up stuff.
“I think the way it works is that if I do something and my knee doesn’t react, it’s a tick.
“It’s about progressing to see how the knee reacts.
“It can be between six to 12 months. Around eight-plus months, the rate of it not happening again is much higher than if you do six to eight.
“I’m just trusting what the physios are saying, and working with them. I’ll be back before you know it hopefully.
“I know so many of my friends and team-mates who have done their ACLs, and it can react so differently for everyone.
“For the moment, it has been really good for me and I’m getting on really well.”
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