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Bradley marks return with crucial goal

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Paddy Bradley makes a welcome return to action.

PADDY Bradley made a goalscoring return to the county panel after eight months out due to a cruciate ligament injury as Derry claimed victory over Jordanstown 1-16 to 0-14 in the McKenna Cup on Saturday. The Glenullin man got on the end on a Cailean O'Boyle pass to plam the ball into the UUJ net seven minutes after entering the game and the goal prove to be crucial as Derry took their second win of the campaign and Bradley said it was a relief to get back on the football pitch after months in the gym.
“It's nice to get back I've done a lot of hard work to get back over the last seven or eight months.
“I was a wee bit nervous but you are always going to be worried coming back from an injury like that.
“I always said when if anything went wrong when I came back at least I would be able to say I gave it my best shot and I've done that.
“I'm just happy to got through that 20 minutes and I'm looking forward to the next game, slowly and surely we'll build it up and within three or four weeks I'll be fit to start a full game.
It can be a be a lonely time, you have your physios working with you and great credit must go to Conor Henry and Catriona Scullion the Glenullin physio but it's lonely and it's over the last month or two when you get back out on the field that you see the rewards," said Bradley.
The former All-Star admitted that he had been a little apprehensive about making his come back and was delighted to have got some game time under his belt, saying: "I was worried about it a wee bit through the day but whenever you have the work done the muscles can't get any stronger and the graft is totally heeled, you just have to go out and put it to the back of your head. I was lucky enough I got a couple of early touches there and won a few frees and that helped me settled down and it's always nice to finish with a couple of scores too.
“I didn't feel too bad but no matter how much training you do the only way you can get match sharpness is by playing in games.
“It was good to get out there and get that first 15 or 20 minutes and I'm looking forward over the next month or two getting back to tip top shape."
Bradley says he's hoping for a successful Ulster campaign after the frustration of watching on from the stands during the county's Ulster final defeat at the hands of Donegal in Clones last summer.
“That's the way it goes, in terms of injury I've been quite lucky. This is the first real injury I've ever had, barring last year I hadn't missed a championship game for Derry since I started.
“Okay we reached an Ulster final and it was frustrating to miss it but the aim is to get back there this year a

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