Bert Posted 20 December 2005 Posted 20 December 2005 At last, Leicester City midfielder Stephen Hughes has something to look forward to. His pre-season ankle injury has finally cleared up - and he can now focus on making up for lost time in the second half of the season. The Scot, who is eyeing Boxing Day's home clash with Millwall for a possible return to the starting line-up after featuring in the closing stages of Saturday's 1-1 draw against Crewe, is relieved that his nightmare might now be over and said: "I have said it a few times but this time I know it is right. "The other times I have come back there was always the thought in the back of my mind about the injury. "But I played a closed-doors friendly against Boston last week and, after that, it was the best I have felt since the start of pre-season when the injury happened, so I hope I can finally put it all behind me and move on. "I was disappointed not to start the Crewe game because I felt as ready as I could be. After playing the last 15 minutes, I felt fine." Hughes knows, however, that he cannot assume an instant recall. Patrick Kisnorbo and Joey Gudjonsson are the current midfield pairing and yesterday's praise by boss Craig Levein for Gareth Williams increases competition even more. Hughes acknowledges the battle for places and said: "Yes, that has grown but all I can do is to try to put the work in on the training ground and get a starting place sooner rather than later." Earlier in the season, Levein voiced his frustration at Hughes's absence, citing it as a big reason for the side's inconsistency. The player could not fail to take heed of those words so did it contribute to him coming back too soon? Hughes said: "The ankle wasn't right and perhaps I was pushing myself too fast, kidding myself that it would be all right but, in fact, I was making it worse for myself. But that was how it was before. Now I just want to look forward." City as a whole will be looking forward to the second half of the campaign following their regular failure during the first half to turn superiority into wins, which is becoming the main source of frustration in the camp. Assistant manager Rob Kelly said: "We are not passing it off as bad luck. We had a very young team out there on Saturday and that bit of naivety is something we have to address. "If we had been under-performing that would be a different matter but, generally, our performances have been good. "We have under-achieved in points and maybe we need to get a bit more toughness and steel." Source: http://www.thebluearmy.co.uk/details.asp?b...6269754|p|536|0
Libertine Posted 20 December 2005 Posted 20 December 2005 Very good news. No doubt he'll get played on the wing though.
Ric Flair Posted 20 December 2005 Posted 20 December 2005 Very good news. No doubt he'll get played on the wing though. Good.
Bert Posted 20 December 2005 Author Posted 20 December 2005 Good. Yeah, 'cos at least then Sylla won't play.
Manwell Pablo Posted 20 December 2005 Posted 20 December 2005 Plus if Sylla gets dropped for a few games he might get on the plane to Eygpt.
Jon the Hat Posted 20 December 2005 Posted 20 December 2005 Plus if Sylla gets dropped for a few games he might get on the plane to Eygpt. Lets have a whip round and buy him a ticket!
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