Cardle ready for Caley
Friday, 27th Oct 2017"I just have to look after myself and get myself back to what I was doing before my injury."
Joe Cardle is delighted to have recovered from his hamstring injury and back being involved on a match day albeit his game time was just the final ten minutes of the match against Livingston.
"The boys were buzzing after another great performance and another three points. I am feeling good, I have worked hard with the rehab and to get myself back fully fit. It took a bit of time, a bit longer than I had expected. I thought I would have been back earlier but it is the first time that I have ever pulled anything in my career.
"I just have to look after myself and get myself back to what I was doing before my injury."
After winning the Ladbrokes Championship Player of the Month Award for August, Joe found it very frustrating having to watch from the sidelines and for him to be injured for such a length of time it was unusual for him:-
"I just had to keep the head. It was tough because when it comes to a Saturday you want to be playing. To be out for five weeks when I had been scoring goals and playing well was frustrating. It can happen anytime but I just have to get back to where I was."
The 30 year old felt that when his injury came along he was possibly as fit as any point in his career. His fitness helped his game and Joe claimed that was a major factor in his personal success at the start of this season. He has been out running on his own at nights so that he can be back to where he was as soon as possible.
Joe paid tribute to club physio Kenny Murray and Sports Scientist Garry McColl.
"Both have worked so hard to get me back earlier than expected. They did say six weeks but it can go up to eight weeks. I can`t thank them enough, it was nearly seven days a week throughout."
Last weekend Fraser Aird made a big claim to retain the space in the team created through Joe Cardle`s absence. He had to wait a long time since his only start on the opening day of the league season but on Saturday he scored a spectacular goal and appeared to worry the Livingston defence every time he ran at them. Joe commented:-
"Every credit to him for taking the chance when he did. I thought he did very well and scored a good goal. It is the position that I want to be playing in. We all know how football works, I want the team to do well but I want the starting place. He is my pal but that is what I train for all week and I know how frustrating it was for myself last season when I was not playing. The last thing I want is that happening again."
Joe is the sole survivor of the Pars last League match at Inverness on a Wednesday night in May 2012 when a scoreless draw took the team a step closer to their ultimate relegation. Unsurprisingly most of what happened had been erased from Joe`s memory but what he did recall was the way that they played in the first meeting this season on 12th August. He continued:-
"We were really good that day. That and the Falkirk game were probably the two best games that I have played. They were caught by us on a good day but they got a good win last week and we expect them to be a lot better than they were that day.
"We got an early goal, I got two myself but I think they have changed it up a bit. It is always going to be tough going up there. We will prepare well, go up the night before because we want to win the game. It is crucial for us just now because we want to stay up there.
"It is all about getting the three points because we want to keep on the heels of St Mirren."
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