HARRY WATTS is ready to put his injury nightmare behind him and help Dorking to promotion this season.
The back row star has been missing from action for eight months having suffered a double leg break in a match with Tonbridge Juddians at the end of March.
The 26-year-old returned to action as a half-time replacement in Saturday's 44-5 mauling of Tring and he was naturally delighted to be back, if a little surprised.
He said: "It has been just over eight months so it was really good to be back out there. I was getting a little bit itchy on the sidelines but I wasn't really expecting to come straight back in the mix with the first team, I was half expecting to play for the 2s or the 3s, so it was nice to come off the bench and make an impact."
Watts suffered a clean break to the tibia and fibula when he crumpled under a pile of bodies at the end of the first half of last season's clash at the Slade.
There was never any real doubt that he would come back, but there were periods when Watts admitted to being "worried" about his rugby playing future.
He added: "I never got any advice that was doom and gloom but I must admit there was a period where I had doubts because the fibula was quite slow to heal and I just wasn't walking properly on it for a few months.
"I wondered if I would ever be walking properly and it's still not 100 per cent in terms of strength so there was a period where I thought and doubted whether I would be able to come back and be as effective and I suppose the jury's still out on that."
After eight months watching on from the sidelines, Watts almost made it a very brief return on Saturday.
"The first thing I did when I got back on the pitch was to give away a penalty, which was quite funny," he said. "It was a slightly mistimed tackle, nothing malicious and fortunately I wasn't walking straight back off again. That would have been funny."
Watts was given the all-clear to play by his consultants and Dorking physio Charlotte Summers and though he thinks he may spend a spell with the second team or the third team, he wants to make an impact in the first team's push for promotion.
He added: "I have thrown my name into the ring for the big fixtures in January and I will be pleased if I get the opportunity but competition is really high and everyone is playing exceptionally well.
"It will be good if I do get to play, but I will just be happy to see us through January with some good results under our belt. We're top of the league at the halfway stage and I think we can realistically be looking at trying to push for promotion, but I don't think anyone is under any illusions as to the task we have in the second half of the season."
