Sami Radlinger was thrilled to be back in action with our U23s on Monday as he continues his recovery from injury.
The young Reds ran out 3-0 winners in the South Yorkshire derby against Sheffield Wednesday, thanks to an early header from Sam Fielding, along with strikes from first team players Luke Thomas and Patrick Schmidt.
“I think we had a sloppy start; it was a little hectic in the beginning,” said Radlinger. “But, after we scored the first goal, we got control of the game, played very well and deserved to win.”
It was clear to see that Radlinger was particularly pleased to be back playing football again, after an injury in August ruled him out of first team football.
Having kept a clean sheet against the Owls, the 26-year-old goalkeeper spoke about just how good it was to be back between the sticks.
“It’s fantastic,” he declared. “It is a long time since my injury, and I hoped I would be back earlier, but now I am fully fit and I really enjoyed playing. Last week in training was very good, the feeling in my knee is good so I think I am fully ready now.”
Radlinger is now looking to enjoy life in English football, following his injury, after arriving at Oakwell from Hannover 96 in the summer.
The Reds’ stopper has his sights set firmly on a return to first team football and spoke about the competition between himself and his teammates, Brad Collins and Jack Walton, for a starting berth.
He also expressed his hunger at returning to the first team fold and maintained how he believes the performances have been improving in recent weeks.
“I think competition in the team is helpful,” continued Radlinger. “It really helps me and the boys play better, it is always good to have good competition.
“I am very confident ahead of Friday night’s game [against Bristol City] – recently our performances have been getting better and at Oakwell I believe we can win the game.”