Paul Watson: Falkirk defender nearing return to action after long ACL injury lay-off

The defender has spent nearly eight months on the sidelines after a freak injury in training saw him pick up a serious anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury – but he has now stepped up his bid to make a comeback in new year after being out since April.

He told the Falkirk Herald: “The hope is to get back a bit earlier than what was first put down on paper all those months ago. The rotten weather has been a blow because it has pushed me back a couple of weeks due to the surfaces being so hard. You don’t want to risk anything. If it wasn’t for the cold snap I would have been aiming for a return to first team training in the next week or so.

"However, I am still ahead of schedule which is great and I am aiming for a January return, I am hoping it will be very early into 2023 that I am back out on the training pitch. The recovery time was put down as nine months and that will be coming up to that point by the end of January. I don’t want to put down a specific target because you never know, but I am feeling positive about my situation and I will be ready to hit the ground running.”

Watson is hopeful he can make a big impact in John McGlynn’s side when he does make his way back into the first-team fold, despite the “tough” competition for one of the two centre-back spots in the manager’s preferred formation.

"I want to play a big part in our season,” he added. “It will be tough because we have so many good players in that area of the pitch. Guys like Coll Donaldson and Liam Henderson are of course talented players and the competition will drive everyone on.

“Jevon Mills, who was on loan with us last season, was actually brilliant and I think he will go on to make a good career in the game, even after just seeing him play for a short space of time. But of course I do think our defence has really strengthened with the guys that have joined during the summer window.

"I have real optimism that we can do well this season under the new regime and I think the club is heading in the right direction. I have enjoyed watching the team play.”