Andy Winter admits this is a big season for him as he bids to put injury woes behind him and stake a proper claim in the Hamilton Accies first team.
The 20-year-old striker suffered a knee injury against Aberdeen in season 2020-21, which saw him undergo two operations and sidelined him for 10 months.
As a result, this is the first pre-season Winter has gone through since then, and it’s the first time in two years that he has gone into a campaign ready and able to play.
Winter hopes the form he showed at the tail-end of last season continues, and he can put everything behind him.
He said: “Every season is massive, but this one feels big in itself – for me, anyway.
“It’s the first time I’m in there at the start of the season and have a chance of breaking through#, and I feel like I’m in a good position to play in the team.
“I had a good bit of form at the end of last season, and I want to keep that going for as long as I can.
“It has been important for me to get pre-season – this is my first in about two seasons, so I felt like I needed this.
“I had been building my fitness while I was off. Even last season I felt like I needed it, because I felt like I was playing catch-up for the full of last season, in terms of my fitness.”
Winter says his injury nightmare means he’s prepared to tackle whatever the game can throw at him, and come out on the other side.
“Apart from the obvious injury I’ve never had any others,” he said, “so I’m hoping to get through it and start and play as many games as I can.
“I know now that there’s nothing that’s going to be tougher than what I’ve been through, so it has kind of helped me in that sense, and it will make me stronger.”
Accies kick off the season at Dundee in their Premier Sports Cup opener, before hosting Stranraer in Group H on Tuesday.
Winter said: “We want to get stuck into the games and we’re taking the cup very seriously here.
“I think our group is quite a tough one, and quite a tight one, but hopefully we’ll get the better of all the teams that are in it and progress through it.
“It’s our first competitive game, so you’re not going to be 100 per cent, but it’s perfect build-up to the league.”
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