James Donachie has made just two A-League appearances this season as a result of a serious quad tear but the defender says he’s working hard to regain his place.
In what would be a delight to Melbourne Victory Donachie got through 75 minutes in a recent derby Y-League clash against Melbourne City with the successful return an important step in the road to full recovery.
“It was great, the hip felt fine which was a good sign,” said Donachie.
“I hadn’t played a game for a while, it was really positive to get 75 minutes in.
“The hip pulled up really well and was good to get back out there and get a win as well.”
A setback like this has put everything into perspective for Donachie, who believes it’s vital to not feel stressed about the difficult situation.
“I guess you get to look at things you can work on with yourself off the field,” he said.
“It’s my first real long-term injury, but the majority of players have had them.
“I started doing a few TAFE courses just to keep my mind ticking over so it was a tough experience but definitely one that I’ll benefit from in the long run.”
Donachie credits former teammate Luke DeVere with providing some much needed guidance and support in the lengthy recovery process.
“When I was playing at Brisbane Roar, DeVere who’s a great friend of mine did the same injury,” said Donachie.
“As soon as I got the news from our doctor that I had to get surgery, I just called him straight away and asked how he went.
“He just gave me a few tips on looking after it properly and stuff like that.
“It was good to hear from someone who’d actually been through the same injury.”
Donachie’s comeback comes at a real handy time for Victory who require their squad as healthy as possible before they take part in the group stage of the AFC Champions League.
It’ll be a massive boost if he can impress the coaching staff and be raring to go in the near future.
“You probably know as much as I do at the moment, I think getting 90 minutes in will give them confidence,” he said.
“I think I’ll start getting involved now in team selection over the next few weeks and hopefully a start back soon.”
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