Calvin Ramsay made his return to competitive action on Tuesday for the first time in nine months, describing his most recent injury setback as “devastating.”
After knee surgery at the start of the year and a series of setbacks upon joining Preston on loan in the summer, Ramsay marked a major milestone this week.
The right-back started as Preston faced Accrington Stanley in the Lancashire Senior Cup, playing 45 minutes in his first competitive game since February.
A gruelling process over those nine months between a 3-2 loss to Hertha Berlin with Liverpool U21s and Preston’s 3-2 defeat in midweek will have been frustrating for the 20-year-old.
But speaking to Preston’s official website following his comeback game, Ramsay reflected on the “devastating” blow of his summer setback and insisted he is ready to “show what he can do.”
“It was devastating. The first thing I did was phone my dad and say: ‘I think I’ve done it again’,” he said, after a knee issue picked up in August.
“I was just gutted, he was gutted and my whole family really.
“But, now I’m back, it has flown by. I’ve worked hard, every day in the gym, trying to do as much as I can.
“And yeah, I just really need to be playing football now, get my head down, work hard and I’m sure I’ll get good game time. There were no bumps along the way really.”
Ramsay’s rehabilitation was not spent at Preston – where he counts ex-Liverpool academy players Ben Woodburn, Liam Millar and Layton Stewart as team-mates – but back at the AXA Training Centre.
That has left him slightly out of the loop within Ryan Lowe’s squad, and left to play catchup now he has back to fitness.
“Obviously, it’s been a tough year for me with a couple of knee injuries,” he admitted.
“But this time – when I went back to Liverpool for my rehab – I made sure I worked harder than ever because I wanted to come back and get a good run in the team hopefully, and try and show what I can do.
“I just can’t wait to get started and hopefully play some first team games. My aim is obviously to get in the squad [against] Blackburn [on Friday night] and get minutes.
“But if I don’t, it’s a good chance for me to get a few training sessions in over the break, get my fitness up again and after the break it’s go-time.”
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