Dillon Morse happy to be back as South Shields FC prepare for Southport

South Shields FC stalwart Dillon Morse has expressed his relief and delight after returning to the Mariners fold amid an ongoing battle with tendinopathy.

The long-serving centre-back has not appeared in a National League North fixture since he came off the bench during the final minutes of a narrow home win against Marine just under two months ago. Despite having his minutes on the training pitch managed by the Mariners coaching staff, the pain he suffered during that late cameo forced Morse to accept he was facing a spell on the sidelines with the condition impacting on his Achilles tendon.

Slowly but surely, he has worked his way back towards fitness and, although caution is still being advised, he is now ready to be in contention for what could be a crucial period in the club’s push for promotion into the National League North. Saturday’s home game with Southport is next on the agenda for Mike Williamson’s side and Morse will be assessed over the next 24 hours before a final decision is take over his involvement against the Sandgrounders.

Speaking ahead of the game, Morse gave an insight into his battle to return to fitness and revealed his frustration over watching on from the sidelines.

He told The Gazette: “It’s great to be back because it’s been a long eight to ten weeks when I haven’t been able to train with the lads. They are doing really well, we are top of the league, I think we deserve to be there and hopefully I can come in and help us achieve what we want to achieve this season. It’s been frustrating and the tendinopathy is something you can manage as I have done in the past but this time, the pain has been horrendous. The type it was this time was something I’ve not had before and it became impossible to play or train. I’m pain-free now but we still have to be careful because overloading can set me back.”

Understanding

Morse praised Williamson and his Mariners coaching staff for the support and guidance they have shown towards him during his absence from training and the matchday squad.

He said: “The coaches have been unbelievable when I’ve been unable to play or train because when it first started causing me issues, they were managing me to take the load off it during training and even that wasn’t working so they’ve had to show a lot of patience. They’d manage me during the week, they would limit what I would do during training - but come the weekend, it was still aggravated.

“When it got to the point where it became even more clear that I couldn’t play on it, the coaches were fantastic and were very understanding with me. We thought it would take a few weeks, it’s obviously nearly two months since I’ve been involved on matchday and they’ve been brilliant towards me during that time.”

One player that will definitely miss Saturday’s home game with Southport is midfielder Khanya Leshabela as he serves a suspension after receiving a red card in last weekend’s win at Oxford City.

Your next football read: 'Not easy' - Matthias Jaissle reveals message to Newcastle United players after St James' Park boos