Mason Hancock admits it has been frustrating watching from the sidelines as Airdrie have struggled for form.
But the Diamonds defender hopes now he has returned from injury it can help spark a reversal in the club’s fortunes.
The 21-year-old has been out since October with a strain to his hamstring and groin and has watched on helplessly as Airdrie sank to the bottom of the Championship and suffered an embarrassing exit in the SPFL Trust Trophy to Lowland League East Kilbride in October.
So he is desperate to get back playing regularly and help the club claw themselves away from the bottom of the table, where they currently sit seven points adrift of nearest rivals Dunfermline.
Hancock said: “I’m itching to get back but at the same time I know I can’t rush back too quickly. It has to be the right time.
“I’ve been out since October and, to be honest, I probably did my hamstring about six weeks before that against Hamilton.
“When I look back, that’s where I first tweaked it. I was in a routine of hardly training, playing on a Saturday, repairing during the week and making sure I was good to go again the next weekend.
“But I was in a cycle where I was barely getting through it and I couldn’t keep going on like this, I had to get it sorted.
“That’s when I went for a scan and I was surprised to see I’d done my groin as well, both grade two strains, so that was gutting for me.
“It is not a nice feeling being unable to help the team at a time like this, and being one of the boys who was here last season when we had a very successful time.
“Loads of injuries obviously haven’t helped us and we are still gelling as a team this season, but it is annoying knowing what I can bring to the team and having to sit in the stands every week.
“But I am available for the squad again, so it will be up to the physio and the gaffer to agree a playing time for me.”
Airdrie travel to Hampden this week to face Queen’s Park and Hancock added: “The most important thing is I am available again and I’m looking to get back to where I was before the injury.
“In recent weeks we’ve gotten away from how we like to play.
“We are almost chasing that win and getting away from the basics of football and how the manager wants us to play.
“A winning feeling is something we’ve been craving for a while now and it is amazing what a win can do for you.”
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