Injured Luke Summerfield itching to get back

It had initially been hoped that the 26-year-old playmaker's thigh injury, which struck a day before Town's home clash with Leyton Orient on January 7, would only keep him out for about two weeks.

But Summerfield admits his progress has been slower than he had hoped, despite the best efforts of club physios Chris Skitt and Scott Gormley, and he is currently unable to put a timescale on his return to action.

He said: "We trained on the Monday before the Orient game and I just felt my thigh completely go in the last part of the session.

"I wasn't a happy man but that's football. You just have to deal with it. Hopefully I will be back stronger and fitter whenever that may be.

Treatment

"It's not as far along as me and Skitty would have liked and it is slow progress at the moment.

"I am doing a lot of treatment and a lot of rehab but I haven't been training outside for two weeks.

"I haven't touched a ball or gone running or anything like that at the moment.

"I am just working as hard as I can to get fit because I am desperate to get back fit, but there is not really one game I am targeting at the moment.

"I have had injuries in the past where I have put deadlines on it and I have rushed back. But I need to get this right.

"It is my first ever muscle pull injury and I need to be very careful with it.

"I'd like to be back sooner rather than later but I am not looking ahead too much at the moment. I am just concentrating on working on it day-in, day-out to get it right."

The timing of the injury could certainly have been better, having occurred during a rich vein of personal form for Summerfield.

In his last match he had created the winning goal for Aaron Wildig in the team's 2-1 victory at Oldham Athletic on New Year's Day and had been keen to help his team-mates kick on from there.

"It was frustrating because I have been really enjoying my football," he added.

"My personal form was OK. Our form had been a bit inconsistent, but the Oldham performance away really lifted us.

"It's come at a horrible time but I have got to knuckle down and get back fitter and stronger for the last part of the season."

He is quick to praise the work of the club's physio team which has been edging him closer to a return, particularly as he concedes he has not been in the best of moods lately.

"It is very hard for me to put a smile on my face if I am injured," he said. "I am not the best person to be around when I am injured.The boys have been away training at Lilleshall this week so it has literally been me and Skitty and Scott on our own working hard to get this thigh right.

"Their work has been different class for me. There has been a lot of hands-on treatment, a lot of gym work to get it back to its best.

"There's been a little bit of body work in the gym but maybe another week will be more hands-on treatment to get it feeling anywhere near stable enough to go and move on to the next part of rehab such as swimming or weight-lifting."

Unfortunately for Summerfield, great patience will be required before he can rejoin Graham Turner's matchday squad.

But he is confident that his team-mates, who were hosting Rotherham today, will not have to wait so long for a much-needed victory in his absence.

Town had lost four of their last five games prior to this afternoon but he said: "There's going to be performances and wins around the corner, which is going to take us forward.

"We all know it's coming, we have just got to believe in the squad's ability."