Thursday is a big day for Dundee United winger Craig Conway, as he returns to training for the first time since undergoing knee surgery.
His flair on the flanks has been missed by the Tangerines during most of what has been, by his own admission, a “stop-start” season.
The Scotland man will take a significant step forward in his recovery programme when he takes to the training pitch alongside his Tannadice team-mates.
Conway said, “I am scheduled to go back into full training tomorrow and can’t wait.
“It is exactly eight weeks since the operation and I am feeling much better now.
“I have been doing the warm-up with the boys and a bit of passing but now I want to get back into the real stuff.”
He added, “I will have to take it slowly and it will probably take a bounce game or two since I am ready to be involved in a game from the start.
“But we will see how I get on later this week and then it is up to the manager what happens.
“I will just be delighted to get back again because it has been a long slog,” said Conway, who has been taking his frustrations out on the weights in the gym.
“The gaffer did have to tell me to calm it down a bit in the gym.
“So I am banned from the weights at the moment, although getting back into training this week is the main thing and I would much rather be on a football pitch than stuck in the gym.”Call-offs ‘a bonus’Conway said, “The club having had so many games called off was a bonus for me, even if it was driving the rest of the boys crazy.
“It has been a stop-start season so far and I have never really gotten into my stride at any point.
“But there are plenty of games left and I would like to think that, within a couple of months, I can get back to where I was last year.”
Of course, where Conway was last season was a pretty good place, having scored two brilliant goals in the Scottish Cup final to propel the Tangerines to glory against Ross County, who are the fourth-round visitors to Tannadice on Saturday.
“It is pretty strange that we got County again but that’s cup competition,” said Conway.
“And I am sure they will be looking for some revenge. Hopefully, the lads can get us through to the next round and maybe I will be able to play a part in later stages.”
He added, “It won’t be easy because County are a good team and I suppose defending a trophy is probably harder than winning it in the first place because everyone will be out to get you.
“But the lads will cope with that no problem.”
So far the expected interest in United striker David Goodwillie has taken the form of tentative inquiries and no offers have yet been forthcoming.