Brian Lenihan says that he felt 'like a kid at Christmas' on Monday night.
11 months on from making his Hull debut against Bolton last April, the 22-year-old was back in action for the Premier League side's U23s.
Lenihan joined Hull from Cork City two-and-a-half years ago. A nightmare period of injuries followed which meant his debut did not come until 20 months after joining the club. After his debut came knee surgery which has kept him out of action since.
The Corkman played 45 minutes on Monday night against Millwall in a game which was abandoned minutes from the final whistle due to trouble on the pitch involving players from both teams.
Speaking to Hull's club website, Lenihan acknowledged that things have not gone well for him since moving to England.
It does feel a little bit like deja-vu because I think this is the fourth or fifth time here that this has been my first game back after a long injury, but I know that this time I am right and I need to push on now.
I felt good out there. I wasn’t in top gear, but I thought I did okay. The plan was always to just play 45 minutes. Tuesday will be a recovery day, although I feel as though I could train as normal with the first team. That is the most positive thing for me, the fact that I feel as though I can train every day whereas before I would just break down. I feel strong and fit now.
The aim now is to play in every single game that I possibly can to get minutes under my belt and to train hard with the squad every day.
Obviously things haven’t gone well for me here so far, but I have learnt a lot and it is all part of a football education. It has been a difficult time and I’m lucky to be back. Now there are a lot of people here that I need to repay by getting back out onto the pitch and I feel physically ready to do that.
Lenihan joined Hull on a three-year contract. That runs out this summer. If the fullback doesn't get a new deal with Hull, there is interest for his services.
Cork City manager John Caulfield told the Irish Sun that he's understands some League One clubs have made enquiries about signing but that he would also be interested in bringing Lenihan back to Turner's Cross.
Is he the sort of player who would interest me? He would, but the most important thing for Brian is to get a run of games.
Picture credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE
