Dan Ballard admits he still feels ring-rusty after being thrown in at the deep end in Sunderland's 1-1 draw at Hull City following four months on the sidelines. Defender Ballard was included in the Black Cats' squad for the first time since suffering a broken bone in his foot in mid-August, and was expected to be eased back into action gradually possible with a 15 or 20 minute stint at the MKM Stadium.
But all that went out of the window when Danny Batth picked up a calf problem inside the opening quarter-hour, and the summer siging from Arsenal came on to replace him. "I didn't expect to be thrown back out there that quickly," said Ballard.
"It's unfortunate that Danny picked up an injury but I had to be ready. I was a bit nervous having to get stripped that quickly and having to get back on the pitch but once I was out there I was straight back to it and loved every minute.
