BACK WITH A BANG
Fit-again defender ignites Rovers’ recovery
Defender Mark Ellis on his return to action with Tranmere
MARK Ellis is a man on a mission – to spearhead Tranmere’s survival charge in League One and make up for lost time.
During his ten-month absence due to a serious knee injury, Ellis worked overtime to get back as soon as possible.
And since being unleashed in late February, the defender has ignited a Rovers revival, pulling off three wins on the bounce before the EFL went into hibernation.
The 31-year-old scored a goal – his first since May 2018 – nine minutes into his return to competitive action against former club Shrewsbury as Rovers triumphed 3-2 to end their 11-match league winless streak.
And he was on target again in his side’s 2-1 victory at Accrington last weekend before starring in their 2-1 triumph at Blackpool in midweek to move Tranmere from cut adrift in the relegation zone to within touching distance of safety.
“This is like a mini season for me,” said Ellis. “I know what we have got to achieve due to the situation we are in – and winning games is the main objective.
“Being out for ten months, I managed to watch the games, take in a lot of information and look to see where we could strengthen once I got back.
“When you get to the six or seven-month mark, you are getting closer and you are champing at the bit.
“The fitness coaches had to put the reins on me to slow me down – so to finally get back out there against my former club and score was nice.
“There weren’t any major setbacks along the way. I just knew it was going to take time and was told it was not something you could rush.
Light
“I knew there was light at the end of the tunnel so to get back playing, winning and scoring goals has been great.”
Ellis featured 32 times for Tranmere last season before rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee against Forest Green in April.
It was a huge blow but the defender admits he was lucky to have the support of his wife Jo, physio Mark Radcliffe and rehab therapist Tommy Uda.
“It was a coming together,” said Ellis when reflecting on the incident that led to the injury. “The lad knocked the ball past me. I have then gone to step across him, I have planted my foot and his knee collided with mine.
“My momentum took my knee inwards and I felt something pop. I knew I had done something serious as I was in quite a bit of pain.
“I got it scanned and it showed that my ACL had ruptured so I knew it was going to be a mentally tough and hard recovery.
“Fortunately, my wife is a physio and works with some really good people so I was able to use them and ask for their opinion.”
Recovery
Ellis was not alone during his long road to recovery as teammates Evan Gumbs and Luke McCullough also battled back from knee injuries.
And he remained involved at Rovers, passing on words of advice to the team as he watched from the sidelines.
“People will ask for your opinion, like ‘do you think we should have done this or that?’,” added Ellis.
“You watch the games, go in at half-time and a lot of the lads that weren’t involved would have little conversations.
“You couldn’t fault anyone’s work ethic or desire. We just needed to be tighter as a unit and stop giving away silly goals. That’s the only thing that’s put us in the situation we’re in.”