Gary O'Neil admitted to feeling a little sore, but could not hide his happiness at returning to action after seven-and-a-half months on the sidelines.
The No32 was hurt in West Ham United's Premier League home defeat by Aston Villa on 16 April this year, suffering a severe ankle ligament injury that at one stage put his playing career in jeopardy.
However, thanks to a combination of top-class treatment and sheer hard work, O'Neil was able to make a successful return in Tuesday's 3-0 development-squad victory over Brentford at the Boleyn Ground.
"It was great - really good to be back," the 28-year-old told West Ham TV. "It was a little bit nerve-wracking because training is one thing and going out and playing against opposition who don't know or care that you've been injured is different from playing against people who know you've been injured and take it easy. It's been a long time, so I'm really pleased.
"It was a relief to be playing again. A few months in I wasn't sure whether I would play again so it's been really good. The physio has been great. The ankle is still going to take some time to get it where I need it.
"We've still not achieved what we want to achieve which is to get me back to where I was before the injury but we're definitely getting closer. It was a big step and I'll go home happy."
O'Neil admitted the long rehabilitation had been tough to take at first, but had got progressively easier as his return date got closer and closer. The midfielder revealed how he had to maintain great discipline to ensure his recovery would be as speedy as possible.
"It's been hard. I've never had a long-term injury before, just a few months off here and there. I had to have it up above my hip 55 minutes of ever hour for the first two-and-a-half months - I was only allowed to put it down for five minutes to go to the toilet or to make a cup of tea!
"The key was getting that bit right. I really made sure I did what I was told to start with. The surgeon did a really good job and the ankle looks pretty good now.
"It's just a case of getting it strong enough and getting rid of the aches and pains and getting it ready for the real important stuff for the first team."
While he will no doubt have impressed watching manager Sam Allardyce during a lively 45-minute run out against the Bees - capped by an assist for the Hammers' third goal - O'Neil is not putting any pressure on himself to make a first-team debut sooner than is sensible.
"It was a really positive game for me. The physios told me to enjoy being out there in my first game back, but I wanted to do it properly. It seems like a long time ago, but I wanted to get it as close to how I used to play as I could get it. It's not there yet, but there were some signs.
"I got about as well as I could and I hit a decent shot. I'm sure it's going to come over the next few months.
"We haven't set any targets. It depends how the ankle reacts to what we're doing. Every step puts another question mark as to whether the ankle will let me do things straight away. Today was a big step and we'll see how it reacts over the next couple of days.
"There is another game next week that hopefully I can get involved in again."