Winger Joe Lolley now has a spring in his step after a tough few months struggling for game time at Nottingham Forest.
The Reds are gunning for promotion as they approach their final 10 matches of the season. And the 29-year-old hopes he can have a role to play.
Injuries and illness hampered Lolley around the turn of the year, while he has also had to deal with muscle compartment syndrome throughout his career. He was particularly affected by the latter at the end of the 2019/20 campaign and the start of the following term.
Read more: Predict Forest's Championship run-in and see how final table looks
Read more: Defender wowed by City Ground crowd after dropping Forest transfer hint
He made his first appearance of 2022 earlier this month, coming off the bench against Sheffield United and then QPR, before starting Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Liverpool. And he has been boosted by his recent positive appearances, after not featuring since November prior to that run of games.
“It can be difficult. You beat yourself up a bit because you know you’re not playing,” Lolley said.
“I came on against Sheffield United, but it was for four or five minutes. I hadn’t played for almost four months, with injuries as well and stuff like that.
“You feel like you need to get back into the swing of it. But to be fair to the staff - the physical staff and the coaching staff - they put on sessions that make sure we’re physically in the right condition. We do sessions that are sharp and are really good sessions when the lads are recovering.
“You go into the games and you know you’re physically ready. It’s up to you then, to make sure you are mentally switched on.
“The manager does speak to players. He probably sees when people are a little bit down and just picks them up a bit, makes sure they are ready. That’s credit to him, and also to the players for doing their job very well when they’ve come on.
“I haven’t been too involved and it does knock your confidence somewhat. But feeling part of it, getting some touches on the ball and doing positive things, it’s nice for me.
“I’d say my body has probably let me down a bit over the last 18 months or so. Being able to beat a few players, it gives you a bit of a spring in your step, knowing that there’s still a bit of life there!
“Like all the players, whether we’re starting or on the bench, we’re ready to have an impact whenever we’re called upon. Football is a quick game, you can go from not playing to playing every week.
“It can change very quickly. We’re all ready, whenever we are needed.”
