After a year on the sidelines with an ACL injury, the joy was plain to see on Charlie Winfield’s face as he made his return to action on Friday afternoon.
The young defender completed 45 minutes in our U21s’ Professional Development League clash with Birmingham City, and he came through unscathed as another milestone was ticked off.
“I’m buzzing,” beamed Winfield. “It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally got there and I’m delighted to get 45 minutes.
“There were a few nerves leading up to it yesterday, but mainly excited. Coming into it, I couldn’t stop smiling, but as soon as I crossed that white line, all the nerves went and it felt as though I’ve never been out.
“As soon as the whistle goes, it’s like you switch and you’re in the game – especially when you get your first touch; you feel like you’ve never been out. Then it’s just building that confidence throughout the first half and getting as many touches as I can.”
There was certainly little trepidation from the 20-year-old, who put himself about and won a few strong challenges as he got back into the swing of things.
Winfield admits he was confident that his knee would hold up, and that any potential negative thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind when the whistle blew.
“I never thought once about my knee, to be honest,” he continued. “As soon as you’re on that pitch, you’re just fully focused on the game and you just forget about everything else.
“So, there were no worries heading into any challenges.”
First team Head Coach, Michael Duff and Chief Executive Officer, Khaled El-Ahmed were in attendance at the Oakwell Training Ground as Winfield made his long-awaited return.
Our youngster feels that he performed well on the day and was eager to showcase his abilities in order to catch the eye of the senior coaching staff.
“That’s what I wanted to do,” he insisted. “I’ve been out a long time, I wanted to come in because I’ve missed a lot of football, so I’ve got a point to prove and new faces to show what I’m capable of.
“Hopefully I’ve started well and can kick on even further.
“I told myself before the game that there was no pressure and to go out and enjoy it; play with a smile on my face and play well – anything else is a bonus. In the back of my head, I always wanted to play well and maybe get a goal and assist, but the minutes were there and that was the main thing.”
