Mike Jones has admitted that the last year has tested his physical and mental strength to the limit after he made his long-awaited comeback from injury on Tuesday night.
The influential midfield star has not played a game in almost 12 months as he battled against a troublesome Achilles injury, but he got through nearly 80 minutes of the Papa John’s Trophy win over Leicester City Under-21s.
Jones, who is now eyeing more match action when The Bluebirds travel to Burnley in the Lancashire Senior Cup next week, has insisted that walking away from the game he loves was never in his mind.
“It’s been such a long road and I am buzzing to be back out there,” Jones told iFollow.
“You obviously miss being around the lads and in the changing rooms because a lot of the time it’s been just going to the gym on my own and travelling on my own, so it’s been a long year.
“It’s tested me to the max really and there were some really tough days – but giving up was never an option.
“It was just a case of trying to get my Achilles right. Even to this day it’s not a million percent, but it’s probably as good as it’s going to get so it’s time to crack on now.”