Ross Matthews is confident he can hit the ground running with Raith Rovers in the new season – in stark contrast to 12 months ago.
The midfielder has been granted a testimonial year as he goes into his 12th campaign with his only senior club.
Having penned a new 12-month deal, the 28-year-old is relishing the build-up to a a big year – for the club and for him, personally.
This time last summer, however, Matthews was in a different frame of mind.
After being plagued by a foot problem and undergoing two operations, he returned for pre-season full of hope – only to sustain an ankle injury.
That kept him out of action until January, meaning he had not played competitively for 14 months.
“I had the back end of last season, about six months, where I was constantly improving fitness-wise,” said Matthews, who sat out Wednesday’s 1-0 friendly win over Montrose.
“So, I was in a good position. And having a small rest over the summer definitely helped as well.
“I’ve been feeling really good since I came back.
Get ready
“The aim is to get a good pre-season under my belt. Obviously, I never managed to do that last year.
“So, hopefully I can keep myself as fit as I can and get ready for the start of the season.
“Injury-wise, I’m feeling really good. There’s a new physio (Gregor Pirie) in at Raith and he’s been really helpful since he’s come in.
“I’ve picked up where I left off last season, which is good.”
When Matthews was granted a testimonial earlier in the year, there was still the possibility he would no longer be a Raith player when his celebrations came around.
Out of contract at the end of last season, discussions were put on hold amidst the title challenge and play-off push.
And he admits there was still uncertainty when he left for a family holiday to Corfu, where the finishing touches to his new deal were made in interesting fashion.
“I always wanted to stay at Raith,” he added to Courier Sport. “That was always my aim, especially since it’s my testimonial year.
“The goal last season was to earn a new contract.
Delighted
“I had to get myself fit first of all. And I had the second half of the season injury-free, which was really good considering the period before that.
“I was delighted to sign. But I had to resolve things while I was on holiday, which made it slightly less relaxing!
“I had to go to a local hotel to sort out the contract.
“It was sent through on email, but I then had to email that to the hotel for them to print it out for me.
“Then I had to sign it, scan it and send it back.
“I wasn’t even staying at that hotel, I was staying at another one with my family. I had to pay for a printer at a hotel round the corner – that was a first!
“Once that got done, I enjoyed the rest of my holiday.
“The club knew I wanted to sign and I didn’t really have thoughts of going anywhere else, so I was delighted when the offer came through.”
