Ross Bounty

Ross McLaughlin is hoping a recent run of games can continue and help his return to peak fitness

- Tony Connelly

ROSS McLaughlin is enjoying every minute of his time playing in the Hoops this season after marking his return from a prolonged injury.

The 19-year-old Hoops midfielder has endured his fair share of bad luck in recent seasons but, after finally putting it all behind him, McLaughlin is now fully focused on securing a regular place in Tommy McIntyre’s reserve side.

You’re now back playing now after a period out injured. How has the comeback been?

It’s been going well. I injured my left ACL twice, so I’ve missed a fair bit of football in recent seasons. The first game back was against Morton out on the first-team pitch here at Lennoxtown. I played about 20 minutes in that game. I built up my playing time from there with 30 minutes against Queen’s Park and I came on against Hibernian. I played 70 minutes of the 1-0 win over Kilmarnock recently. That was my first start back, and then I went on to start against Hearts. I started the Glasgow Cup game against Partick Thistle and played about 75 minutes, so I’ve gradually built myself up over time.

Have you had to do any extra training to get up to speed?

Tommy McIntyre’s been very good with me. I’ve been doing extra drills after training so I’m feeling good. I did the exact same with Damien Duff before he moved to the first team. He was very good, tough, but very good. It’s always nice to have someone on your back pushing you on. He helped me a lot and I’ve benefited from that.

Are you feeling back to full match fitness now?