Cody Cooke played 60 minutes for the St Mirren Reserves yesterday afternoon as he continued his recovery from an injury that has ruled him out for over three months.
The forward has been on the sidelines following a knee ligament injury sustained in a Betfred Cup match against Albion Rovers at the end of July.
The initial diagnosis appeared bleak for Cody who looked set to be ruled out for up to nine months.
But the Englishman has battled back quicker than expected and now hopes to be in contention for a place in the squad for the first team's trip to Edinburgh to face Hearts on Saturday.
Speaking to stmirren.com in the aftermath of the Reserves' 3-1 league defeat to Hamilton Academical, Cody says he'll have to work hard to earn his place in the squad and knows that any decision for him to be involved on Saturday is up to Jim Goodwin.
There’s definitely a chance but that’s going to be up to the manager," he said.
"For myself I’ll certainly be looking towards Saturday but I am under no illusion that I’m going to be chucked back in.
"There are 18 places in the squad. Everyone has to earn the right and there’s a squad of players here who want to be in that 18.
"Even if it’s not this week it gives me another couple of weeks to get myself 100% to where I want to be and if it’s not this weekend then hopefully I’ll be in and around for the game against Ross County.
"If you are not involved all you can do is hope that the boys do the business and get something from the game at the weekend. Everyone knows how big the game is."
As any footballer will tell you, a spell on the sidelines with injury can take it's toll mentally as well as physically.
And while Cody admits it's a challenging time he stressed that he's always been aware of the ups and downs of football.
It’s a huge mental test for anyone whether it’s a couple of weeks or whether it will be three or four months like I was.
"You are in the gym most days on your own and you feel kind of separate from the team so of course it’s going to be difficult.
"But you have got to look at the light at the end of the tunnel and that’s what I have done towards the last three or four weeks knowing I had a couple of games coming up to get some minutes.
"You have little goals along the way and once you are back training and back on the pitch it’s a different story.
"Everyone here has been brilliant with me making sure I’m alright and little things like that make you feel like you are still a part of it.
"I feel good," he continued.
"I think the most important thing at this stage is to feel confident and to feel strong after such a long time on the sidelines. It’s all moving forward and it’s all positive.
"You know that it is always going to be ups and downs and that’s how I have treated it.
"I know it is going to be a rollercoaster from start to finish and whether that is injuries, change of manager, scoring hat-tricks, not scoring, there’s always going to be ups and down.
"I don’t take the lows too low and I don’t take the highs too high and that’s how I have managed things and kept as level-headed as I can.
"All I can do is focus on me and making sure I can be available to the manager and whatever happens happens."
To say it's been an eventful 18 months for Cody since joining the Buddies in the summer of 2018 would be an understatement.
The striker has played under three managers and suffered frustrating injuries that have curtailed his opportunities since he made the leap from part-time to full-time football at the age of 25 when he swapped Truro City for Paisley.
But despite the obstacles that have been placed in front of him, Cody is happy with how he has progressed and hopes he's still only at the beginning of a full-time career in football.
Full-time is obviously completely different and there have been huge adjustments.
"Whether that has been lifestyle changes, diet or anything like that everything is different.
"I’d like to think I have taken that in my stride even though I have had injuries at difficult times.
"A lot of them have been things I’ve had no control over and most recently with the knee issue it was a freak thing that just happened at the time. There’s nothing that you can change lifestyle wise for that.
"I’ve enjoyed every step and hopefully this is just the start of my full-time career and I can stay in it for as long as I possibly can. I’ve enjoyed every moment."
Cody also reserved praise for the manager and says small gestures from the gaffer have gone a long way in his battle to return from injury.
The gaffer has been brilliant since he has come in," he said.
"I have really enjoyed how he works, how demanding he is from players and just the clarity we have in every aspect of what is going on.
"That might sound like a small thing but it’s huge to know where you have got to be and what you are doing and all these things. He’s been brilliant with that in terms of the whole group.
"In terms of the injury side he pops his head in at the gym and checks in that you are alright. Again that might seem like a small thing but it goes a long way.
"Since I have been back on the pitch training he has been really encouraging and he’s even done a few runs with me at the same time to keep his own fitness up.
"Little things like that go a long way. Ultimately you are working your socks off every single day for him and for the club and it’s nice to get that back from him."
