Dean Ashton made a welcome return to West Ham United's
training ground this week and admitted that he can at last see some
light at the end of the tunnel.
The Hammers striker was back at Chadwell Heath for treatment on the broken ankle he sustained during training with the England squad back in August and, having received an encouraging progress report from his surgeon at the weekend, is now looking forward to starting on the road back to full fitness.
"It's great to come back and see all the lads again," he says. "The last few weeks have been very frustrating but there is some light at the end of the tunnel now and I can start working towards reaching full fitness again.
"When you are on crutches and wearing an air-cast boot, it's hard to tell how things are progressing, and it can get very frustrating, but I've tried to stay positive and things look much brighter now.
"I saw the surgeon on Saturday and he said the X-ray looked fine and that I would be okay to walk on it now. That felt a bit strange at first, but to be able to walk freely again and come into the training ground for some treatment is a fantastic feeling.
"This is the start of the road back, and I'm looking forward to working hard in the next few weeks, stepping up my rehabilitation and strengthening the ankle.
"I'll be spending some of the time here at Chadwell Heath and some of the time up in Manchester at the hydrotherapy centre," he reveals. "It's just a case of building up from there and sticking to the schedule that has been laid out.
"I'm not going to rush things - I want to take my time and make sure I come back as strong and as fit as I was in pre-season. I'm hoping to be back around Christmas and that would hopefully still give me the chance to play a big part this season."
The Hammers striker was back at Chadwell Heath for treatment on the broken ankle he sustained during training with the England squad back in August and, having received an encouraging progress report from his surgeon at the weekend, is now looking forward to starting on the road back to full fitness.
"It's great to come back and see all the lads again," he says. "The last few weeks have been very frustrating but there is some light at the end of the tunnel now and I can start working towards reaching full fitness again.
"When you are on crutches and wearing an air-cast boot, it's hard to tell how things are progressing, and it can get very frustrating, but I've tried to stay positive and things look much brighter now.
"I saw the surgeon on Saturday and he said the X-ray looked fine and that I would be okay to walk on it now. That felt a bit strange at first, but to be able to walk freely again and come into the training ground for some treatment is a fantastic feeling.
"This is the start of the road back, and I'm looking forward to working hard in the next few weeks, stepping up my rehabilitation and strengthening the ankle.
"I'll be spending some of the time here at Chadwell Heath and some of the time up in Manchester at the hydrotherapy centre," he reveals. "It's just a case of building up from there and sticking to the schedule that has been laid out.
"I'm not going to rush things - I want to take my time and make sure I come back as strong and as fit as I was in pre-season. I'm hoping to be back around Christmas and that would hopefully still give me the chance to play a big part this season."