Turnbull feels better than ever after lockdown op Midfielder reaps benefit of enforced lay-off after surgery
DAVID TURNBULL admits going into lockdown worked in his favour as it allowed him to undergo a second knee operation without missing any games.
The Motherwell midfielder went under the knife again in March and then used the rest of the downtime to work on his rehabilitation.
The former Celtic target believes he is now back to full fitness and celebrated by scoring his first goal since May 2019 in Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw at home to Livingston.
He said: “I am absolutely buzzing to be off the mark and get my first goal especially after so long. That’s the first three games I’ve played in 15 months or something like that, so I’m absolutely delighted. Now I’m hoping to kick on and get more and help the team out.
“Lockdown gave me time to have my second op and then I had to rest for four weeks straight. I didn’t do anything and that probably helped me the most because nobody was playing and everybody was off.
“It was another two months to get back fit before everyone was back in so that probably helped me a lot. I am feeling very fit. I would say I am 100 per cent now.
“I’m starting every game and playing 80 to 90 minutes in those games and feel like I could keep going. I have never felt better, to be honest.
“I spoke to the gaffer and he said that if I was fit enough and good enough in training then I would play. I would say that in the first few weeks I was having to work on my sharpness but now my sharpness has come back and I have managed to play my first few games, which is brilliant.”
Motherwell are still waiting on their first win of the new campaign and face a tricky test against Hibs tomorrow.
Manager Stephen Robinson was scathing of his players after dropping two points in midweek and Turnbull knows they will all need to be better at Easter Road.
He added: “It was obviously a tough one to take the other night. We knew what Livi were going to come and do and we knew we would need to match that.
“The gaffer tells us every day that we need to be on it and the first few games we have played really well, we’ve just struggled to get the results. The other night the goals came but we lost two sloppy ones.
“He wasn’t happy and he had a wee pop at some of the boys and he was probably right enough. The results have been bad but that will just spur boys on to work harder and play better so that’s good for us.
“We are passing well and we battled well and we just need to keep doing that and the results will come.
“Hibs have done well in their first few games and they are sitting near the top of the table. But if we can go there and play the way we have been playing and create chances and score goals, then I am sure we will be fine.”