Niall Huggins hopes his injury woes are finally behind him and that this can be the season he makes his mark at Sunderland. Defender Huggins' first two years on Wearside have been wrecked by a series of injuries, including back and foot problems, which have restricted him to just eight appearances - including only four starts.
But the former Leeds United man was involved from the bench in both legs of Sunderland's play-off semi-final against Luton Town in May and has returned for pre-season fully fit and looking to build up his match sharpness ready to push for a first-team place this term. The 22-year-old has already made a contribution, scoring his side's second goal in the 3-2 friendly win at Gateshead on Saturday despite playing in an unfamiliar central midfield role.
"I'm buzzing - the end of last season was kind of just a bonus, to be honest," Huggins told safc.com after the game. "The plan really was just to finish the season as fit as possible, so to get some minutes especially in front of the home crowd was a really great feeling.
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"I worked hard over the off-season, I came in a week early with a few of the lads who had been in just to get a few extra reps and runs in. I think that's helped me, I've had a good two weeks [pre-season training] and I feel good, and it's just about building that match fitness up now.
"That will come with time. I feel really good and obviously I'm just excited to try and push into the team this season."
Huggins had just begun to find some form when his injury problems started in September 2021. He was sidelined for more than a year until he played in the Championship win at Birmingham City in November, and after that he featured in the FA Cup fourth round game at Fulham at the end of January, but that was his last outing until those two play-off games in May.
