Craig Gordon, who played his first competitive 90 minutes of 2019 in Tallinn on Tuesday night, feared that his knee knee injury, suffered in training earlier this year, might have brought his playing career to an end.
The injury was similar to the previous career threatening problem he had in his other knee while at Sunderland, which cost him two years playing time.
“It’s something that can affect you longer-term than this. Having had a very similar thing with my other knee, I knew how tough it was going to be,” the big goalie said.
“It took me two years to get right the last time. This time it was seven months, so I must have learned my lesson having come back sooner!
“But when I first got the injury my first thought was, ‘I’m in trouble here, definitely’. There have been niggling doubts at various points since. Even during the hard work in pre-season, I’d come off training and my knee would be sore with a lot of fluid in it. I’d have to go back and ice it up.
“But it responded really well and I’ve taken part in more training sessions than I thought I would be able to. I feel in great shape because of that.”
Gordon was given his first start since late December and his first under Neil Lennon against Nomme Kalju and had one or two threatening situations to deal with to ensure that he achieved his clean sheet.
“It was great to be back out there. It felt like it had been a long time. It took me seven months to get back playing, so it was great to get my first 90 minutes in. I hadn’t managed to do that in pre-season, so it felt good. It’s a big stepping stone for me, a big hurdle, and I was relatively happy with the way it went,”Gordon said to the media after the 2-0 win in Tallinn, as reported by Scottish Sun.
“Being out for the length of time I was out was tough. After being out of the team, whether it’s the manager’s choice or you’re injured, it’s difficult to find the strength to come back again and show what you’re made of.
“It’s been a challenge, I’m not going to lie. But finally I’m in a position now where I can start to compete again and give my best on the pitch when I’m chosen to play.
“I just want to play as many games as I can.”
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