Ciaran Brennan admits that hard work behind the scenes has paid off after making his first start in two months during Saturday’s 3-0 win over Harrogate Town.
The defender returned to the starting lineup for the first time since January 18, when he featured in County’s 2-1 defeat to Port Vale before being sidelined with a shoulder injury.
But he has since completed his rehabilitation and was delighted to be back out there as the Exiles ended a run of back-to-back defeats in League Two.
And he is determined to get more minutes under his belt before season curtails, and work hard to keep improving and performing to a high level.
“It was tough out there today at times but it was great to be back out there from the start," he said.
“Since I had the injury to my shoulder I’ve been working hard behind the scenes to get back as quick as possible.
“I’m a confident lad and I back myself to get back into the team, and hopefully that’s what I’ve done.
“The injury was obviously a huge frustration and it’s never easy to overcome. I was in a good grove of games, playing every minute of every game, but these things happened in football, and it’s how you respond to those set-backs.
“I’ve had to bounce back, show resilience and now I’m feeling stronger than ever.”
The Exiles’ 3-0 win - courtesy of strikes from Cameron Evans, Courtney Baker-Richardson and James Clarke - ensured the home side ended a run of back-to-back defeats in League Two.
And the 24-year-old was delighted with the resilience and desire his side showed to return to winning ways in NP19.
“Today was a big win and a big reaction from Tuesday which is what we needed," he added.
“We obviously addressed Tuesday night straight away. It wern’t up to our standards and it was important we put it right today.
“We’ve bounced back a number of times this season and today was no different. We’re a resilient group and we needed a result and a performance to go with it like we did.”
