Tom Cairney insists his magical comeback against Cardiff City is ‘just the start’ of the next chapter in his Fulham career as he bids to build up his match sharpness following ten months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
The Fulham captain scored within twelve minutes of coming on as a substitute at half-time last night to break struggling Cardiff’s brave resistance at Craven Cottage last night – and admitted to FFCTV after the final whistle that such a fairytale moment left him pretty emotional.
“Yeah, it’s mental. It’s been a hard ten months or so – a lot of setbacks. It’s been difficult, obviously seeing my team get relegated as well and not being able to do anything about it. I’ve had some magical moments but that’s up there.
“It’s crazy. It’s the longest time out of my career. Watching the guys train, watching them play this season – it’s been great to watch, they’ve played some good stuff, but to be a part of it is an amazing feeling.
Cairney admitted that he might not be able to start a competitive game as he feels his way back to competitive football but the playmaker is delighted to back amongst Marco Silva’s midfield options at long last.
“I’ve had some great moments in a Fulham shirt but that’s right up there. It’s fantastic. The gaffer’s got us playing some good football, we’re a good unit, we’re hungry and, look, I’m not fully, fully back yet but hopefully this is just the start. Starting a game would be very hard as I’ve had a long time off playing football, but I think 45 minutes there could only hold me in good stead.
The boys helped me out. The boys were brilliant. It’s great to be back out there. Onwards and upwards. We’ve got a big game at the weekend – touch wood, everything’s cool.
Lovely to read these comments from Tom. I was definitely one of those who thought he might never play again given how seriousness his knee problems had been in the past and how prolonged his setbacks and recovery from this particular injury lay-off proved to be.
He might be short of match fitness, something he acknowledges here, but it was clear to anyone who watched last night that he adds something very distinct to the Fulham side. Even whilst he is still building that sharpness up, he moved the ball quicker than many of our players in the first half, committed defenders and always looked to play forward. It’s just so great to have him back.