After a first-half cameo in his return from a month-long knee injury, Brisbane Roar Youth midfielder George Lambadaridis is eyeing a full 90 minutes against Melbourne Victory at SS Anderson Reserve this Sunday.
After a first-half cameo in his return from a month-long knee injury, Brisbane Roar Youth midfielder George Lambadaridis is eyeing a full 90 minutes against Melbourne Victory at SS Anderson Reserve this Sunday.
Lambadaridis missed four weeks of action after sustaining a grade one medial ligament strain but was pleased with his performance against Melbourne Heart last weekend.
“The main thing was to get 45 minutes under my belt after having four weeks out with my knee,” he said.
“I was happy to get through it without any problems.
“I felt like I could-ve played more than 45 minutes if I had to.
“I want to put myself back in the frame and that-s just going to come with being fit and waiting for my opportunities to come.”
After the disappointment that came when he realised the injury was worse than originally suspected, Lambadaridis put in the hard work with the Roar support staff to ensure his road to recovery was a smooth one.
“When it happened, it didn-t really hurt that much and it was only the next day that it really hurt,” he said.
“Originally, it was only going to be a week but it kept bothering me and it became two weeks, three weeks and eventually four weeks that I was out.
“Working with Kenny [Stead], Nigel [Smith, NYL team physio] and Tim [Oostenbroek, Head Physio], they were all really good at helping me work my way back.
“My rehab was all planned out and they kept me doing conditioning work, even though I wasn-t on the field.
“I spent more time at the club over those four weeks than I would have done if I was training!”
Sunday-s match holds extra significance for Melbourne-born Lambadaridis who will play against the Victory in his hometown.
“It-s always a buzz because I get to play in front of my friends and family,” he said.
“I-m really excited for Sunday and hopefully we can get a win under our belts as well.”
Brisbane Roar Youth play Melbourne Victory Youth on Sunday, 16 December. Kick-off at SS Anderson Reserve is at 3pm local time, 2pm Brisbane time.
