Nelsen ComebAcK

Blackburn captain Ryan Nelsen is ready to help Rovers' push for Europe after admitting his fears that he thought his season was over.

The Kiwi returns for Saturday's Premier League clash with Reading at the Madejski Stadium after 10 weeks on the sidelines.

After playing through the pain barrier for the majority of the first half of the campaign, Nelsen finally listened to what his body was screaming at him.

His problem stemmed from an operation he required in the summer of 2006 to reattach a hamstring tendon that had been torn off the bone.

The New Zealand centre-back spent six months on the sidelines in rehabilitation before eventually returning in January 2007.

However, a year later, Nelsen decided he could no longer continue as the pain he was feeling was badly affecting his performances.

It took what he describes as "a few medical heads" to diagnose the problem - quite simply he had returned too soon and not adequately strengthened the muscles around the tendon.

"I'm my own worst enemy because after the operation I just wanted to run and train, but I did so far too early and it really cost me," remarked Nelsen.

"I knew something was wrong because I was playing horrendously.

"I just didn't have my explosiveness and the speed I normally have. It just wasn't there, which was extremely frustrating.

"But in wanting to put it right I'd get out there and train and play, but by doing that I was hurting myself even more.

"It reached the point that even when I was walking it was hurting, so I had to put my hand up and say 'this is getting ridiculous'.

"Quite a few medical heads then got together, I had scans, and when a surgeon saw it he told me get off it for four weeks.

"I was basically playing on a tendon I shouldn't have even been walking on.

"My hamstring was pathetic and the tendon was taking all the tension. I was trying to do things when it couldn't handle it.

"At the time, when the surgeon told me how bad it was, I thought I could be out for the season.

"But I got my head down, headed to the weight room to get the muscle strong, and the stronger it has become the less pain I've felt, which seems so simple looking back.

"So I made sure I was comfortable with my strength and that I could handle it before I started to run again.

"Now my lungs are spitting up some cobwebs, but at least the injury is okay."