Derby County defender James Chester is delighted to be back amongst the first-team squad after a lengthy injury lay-off.
The experienced centre-back returned to action for the first time since October, after being sidelined with a calf problem, in the 2-0 victory over Forest Green Rovers on Easter Friday and he's hopeful he can prove his worth in the remaining games of the campaign as the Rams look to secure a top six spot in Sky Bet League One.
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the MK Dons clash, Chester gave his thoughts on his return to playing and how much he's looking forward to being back at Pride Park Stadium for the first time in 2023
On how pleased he is to be back playing...
It was an enjoyable day against Forest Green and one that felt a really long way away during my rehabilitation but I'm glad I put the hard work in to get back to this point and be a part of what we're trying to achieve with the lads.
I know I've not played very much but I've found the club a wonderful place to be and full of really good people so I'm glad to be a part of it again.
On how much he's been around the squad during his injury...
That's the most difficult part of being injured. It's quite a social environment being a footballer and being around a group of 30 or 40 people every day and when you're injured your schedule is sometimes different so you don't see them as often as you'd like and you perhaps don't feel as much a part of things as you'd like, so it's been nice to be back involved with the lads again.
On the set-back in January...
To go through the rehabilitation and looking forward to get back in the team - for it to go so wrong again so quickly was quite difficult to deal with. It was probably the most difficult injury I've had in my career but I'm back and I've enjoyed myself.
On how his legs are feeling following his comeback...
They feel alright. I came off on Friday as they started to feel a little tight and I didn't want to take any more risks than I have done in the past. I've been back with the lads for a month or so and building my way back in.
On Monday’s meeting with MK Dons...
To win at Forest Green gave us some nice momentum going into Monday. Bar recent weeks, our home form has been really good so it will be a game we're looking to get three points in again and really push on to the end of the season and finish in the top six.
On how much he's relishing being back in the squad for the remainder of the season...
Any game I play between now and the end of the season will be a bonus for me. After the second injury it was looking really difficult to play much but I'm glad I've got myself back in contention and hopefully I can be of some value between now and the first week of May.
On returning to Pride Park...
It's been really frustrating having to watch the lads in a great stadium with full houses every week. It's part of the reason I wanted to come here and it will be certainly nice to experience that myself again after the time I’ve had away.
