Notts County defender Connell Rawlinson has labelled his campaign as 'frustrating' so far as he looks to kick on following his latest injury setback.
The experienced Magpies defender played a crucial part in Luke Williams' side's victory in the West Midlands on Tuesday evening, covering admirably in the absence of Richard Brindley on his 100th league start for the club.
The win at the ARMCO Arena was Rawlinson's third consecutive start since returning from an injury that kept him out the side for seven games after picking up a knock in training.
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It was the second the defender has picked up this campaign after missing the start of the National League campaign, and he has thrived in that back three during Brindley's recent absence.
And Rawlinson explained the frustrations of his injury-hit season but heaped praise on the medical staff at Meadow Lane for nursing him back to his best at a crucial point of the campaign.
"It's always very frustrating as a player to not be involved and to be able to contribute to the team when you are on the sidelines," explained Rawlinson.
"It has been a frustrating season for me through injury - I had a freak injury at the start of the season in pre-season, I came back and thought that I started pre-season really well and I was looking to play under the new gaffer.
"I got my head down early doors from that one to make sure I recovered from that and then I picked up another freak injury during training which was an internal bleed on my calf and that can't be helped, it just happens when you experience collisions when training to a high standard.
"For myself, I don't cut corners when it comes to rehab and coming back because it takes you longer to get back in the fold and you have got to work hard.
"It is a lonely place at times, but on the flip side of that, we have really good staff at the club.
"You have the physios and the strength and conditioning coach, and I have to give them a lot of credit this season to put myself in a position when I come back from two long-term injuries to come back in and perform at such a high level so quickly."
The victory against Solihull was not only a landmark for the club as they broke the record of the longest unbeaten run in the club's history, but also for Rawlinson.
The 31-year-old earned his 100th league start for the Magpies since joining from Port Vale in 2019, becoming a fan favourite amongst the Notts faithful.
With his current contract due to expire at Meadow Lane in the summer, Rawlinson reiterated his desire to remain at the club to further boost his number of appearances for Notts and spoke at the progression the club has made since his arrival.
"I feel as though the club has always been a big club and we have always been fighting to be high in this league," he said.
"This is the first manager I have played for during my time here and we have progressed as a club on, and off the pitch with the new owners which is a huge credit to them - it's come on leaps and bounds since they have come in.
"As you can see this year, we are a different animal, and credit where credit is due, we are the players but without that structure and the drive that comes from the gaffer, you don't get that.
"It's nice to have progressed from when I first signed until now and to be at the point where we set out to achieve what I set out to do when I first came here and get the club back to the football league.
"On a personal level, I said when I signed here I wanted to rack up as many games as I could and wanted to leave a legacy in the vast history that the club has got.
"And to make 100 league appearances and maybe 138 in total, I would like to reach my 150th for the club this season and hopefully in the summer staying here and start edging towards that 200 to 250 mark."
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