gethampshire - Reading Evening Post

The freezing weather has meant we haven’t been able to train on grass so far this week — but it’s not affected us at all.

We had a good session indoors in the gym on Monday and then on the astro on Tuesday.

I missed the Dagenham game last Sunday after taking a whack on the side of my thigh at Barnet.

I took a knee in it I think, just before half-time, and had a dead leg as a result. I got through the rest of that Barnet game OK but it stiffened right up after the final whistle went.

When I woke up on last Saturday I wasn’t really aware just how much it had been raining. The idea that our match against Rotherham might be off just hadn’t even crossed my mind.

We were all ready to go for our pre-match walk, as we normally do. That was at about 11.30am and none of the boys really wanted to go on it in the rain.

The first half against Wycombe was, for me, the best we’ve played this season. We seem to make a habit of it against Peter Taylor, what with the game at home to Stevenage last season too.

We sat off a little in the second half and we weren’t so dominant, but even at 2-1 I didn’t think they would equalise. I thought we were pretty comfortable.

I’m very hopeful that I will be fully fit and available for Saturday’s League Two match at home to leaders Wycombe Wanderers.

I was busy in the gym on Monday and was then back running at 50% by the end of the day. By yesterday that should have been up to 100% and hopefully today [Thursday] I will be back in training with the boys. I feel that if you are back in full training on a Thursday then you are available for selection on the Saturday.

I am not sure I am going to be fit for Saturday’s big FA Cup clash at Millwall.

I had a session in the gym with the physio on Wednesday lunchtime and then I was due to have another one in the evening. I can’t really see myself training today (Thursday) and while I may make training on Friday, I think that gives The Gaffer [Gary Waddock] a bit of a headache.

Tuesday was a long day — but it was certainly worth it after our 3-0 FA Cup win at Rotherham.

Without a shadow of doubt I thought it was our best performance of the season. Perhaps even our best one under The Gaffer [Gary Waddock], although the home win over Stevenage last season is still up there for me.

The bad weather forced us on to the Astroturf for training at the start of the week but we’ve had some good sessions.

Tuesday was especially hard, with plenty of fitness. We usually get made to run on Tuesdays, when there is no midweek game - and then the reserves’ match was called off too - so we always know we might be blowing by the end of a Tuesday session.

I haven’t been training all week as my groin has been sore after the Morecambe game.

So, I’ve been busy with Jim Joyce, the club physio, just doing lots of stretching and keeping on top of things. The good news is that I passed a fitness test with Jim yesterday morning (Wednesday) and I should be back in full training today and tomorrow. I am fit for the Rotherham game.

It’s nice to be able to talk about playing, rather than my progress back to fitness.

I knew I would probably get the nod at Rochdale after we’d shipped so many goals, provided I could prove I was fit, if not match fit.

Hopefully we will have put in a good performance at Chesterfield last night (Wednesday) and that will set us up nicely for the next couple of days, before the match at Rochdale on Saturday.

It’s a very important part of the season for us, with a run of four league games in a row in a short space of time. If we lose every one then I guess we’ll be near the bottom of the table! But we fear nobody in this league, so I can’t see that happening.

Everything is going fine with my recovery from the hernia operation. I’ve started twisting and turning and striking the ball this week and that has all gone really well.

All my little niggles were connected with the hernia and I’m pleased to say that both my ankle and calf feel good too now, as well as the groin.

‘The missus’ and I went to watch Ryan Williams play for Weymouth at Woking on Tuesday night, in their 1-1 draw.

I shared a flat with ‘Willo’ for two years when he was at Aldershot and I keep in regular touch with him — in fact, he’s one of those friends that you just know, even when you go your separate ways, you will always stay in contact with, forever, probably.

I go in for my operation on my hernia today [Thursday] at midday.

The op is being carried out by a private surgeon in Leicester. I’ll stay in overnight and then, as I won’t be able to drive straight away, I’m being picked up by my dad. I’ll probably go back to the family in Wales, where I’ll be waited on hand and foot!

This was already the worst start to the season — on a personal level — I’ve ever had.

And now it’s just got worse. It looks like my hernia has gone again. I had an operation on my right one in the summer and now the left one has gone. I’m off to see the specialist today [Thursday] and I reckon I’ll be needing another operation.