Josh Sheehan is eagerly eyeing up a comeback as he steps up his return to full fitness.
Sheehan hasn’t figured for Wanderers since last November after suffering a cruciate ligament injury.
But after successful knee surgery and an intense rehabilitation programme – conducted alongside injured team-mate and fellow Wales international Lloyd Isgrove – the midfielder is back training with Ian Evatt’s squad.
Sheehan has taken an active part in Portugal during the Whites’ pre-season training camp and now hopes to have a key role to play when the new League One campaign gets underway.
“I’m feeling really good fitness-wise,” said the 27-year-old, who joined Wanderers from Newport County last summer and weighed in with four goals in his first 15 league appearances for Evatt’s men.
“I worked really hard during the early stages of the injury and over the summer I’ve worked really hard on my fitness and strength.
“When it comes to the running I’m joining in with the boys and I’m feeling up to pace. It’s now about getting more to the sharpness of the football side, which will obviously come in the next month or so.
“I’ve always tried to be positive about it – the injuries – and think to myself I can get stronger and ready for the next season.
“It has been tough but it’s helped having someone else (Isgrove) being injured with you and hopefully we can be back soon.
“I can’t wait, to be honest. Seeing the boys from January, the way they played and how the results have gone.
“Everyone wants to be part of that and I feel I can bring a lot to the team as well, which is a positive.
“I can’t wait to get into it with the boys and enjoy the season and hopefully we can kick on as a team, like we left off after January.”
A run of just three defeats in 22 games from mid-January saw Wanderers finish as one of the form sides of the division as they secured a top-10 finish with the help of half-a-dozen new faces on board.
Sheehan believes the platform is in place to continue the progress with the creative midfield man confident in the squad’s ability – and the feel-good factor around the Whites – to provide the impetus for a sustained challenge next season.
“We’ve got 22 players, who you could swap in and out and I feel everyone could more than do a job,” he added.
“That can only be a benefit to us, the manager and the club, to have players who are fighting for spots and pushing each other on.
“It’s going to be exciting. There are a lot of good players and I can’t wait to play with a few of them.
“I feel everyone knows what our ambitions are this year. That’s clear enough. We are all confident of doing that and it’s a very positive vibe around the club, which helps even more.
“You know if sometimes things aren't going right, when it comes to the fans a bit of noise and encouragement they give us can make a massive difference.
“We’re all looking forward to it and we’re all positive about the season coming and we’ll take it from the first game.”
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