Wycombe Wanderers striker Brandon Hanlan hopes his injury problems are finally behind him after making his comeback in their FA Cup win over York City.
The 27-year-old damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in a 1-0 home defeat by Stevenage in November 2023.
But he returned to action for the final 15 minutes of the first-round tie against National League club York, which the Chairboys won 3-2.
“I’ve been waiting for a long time and it was nice to get back out there and kind of get that feeling back,” he told BBC Three Counties Radio.
“It’s been a long one. There’s been ups and downs but it’s one of those ones where you have to see it through all the way to the end.
“The physios saw me from the start to the end. It’s nice to have someone there that knows where your knee was and where it’s at now and help you along with the whole rehab side.”
Despite his serious injury, Hanlan signed a contract extension offered by the club in December 2023.
His return is well-timed with Wycombe in prime form under boss Matt Bloomfield, unbeaten in 10 league games and having won their last four in a row in all competitions.
“The plan with injuries like this is to come back stronger and hopefully not lose anything you had before,” he added.
“I just want (to play) as many minutes as I can and get back to where I was before.
“The squad’s very strong and hopefully we can keep this up for the whole season.”
Wycombe now face back-to-back away games in the north west in League One, at Stockport County on Tuesday evening followed by Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
