Ballymena United defender Steven McCullough insists he appreciates being back on the pitch after a frustrating 11 months out due to injury.

The full-back was injured during an innocuous landing on his foot towards the latter end of 2020, and after months and months of setbacks, the Belfast native is aiming to make up for lost time as David Jeffrey’s men eye a strong end to the season.

Speaking to the Northern Ireland Football League, McCullough admits the first real injury of his career challenged him both mentally and physically, but he hopes those days are long behind him now.

“I was out for around 11 months and it was difficult to come to terms with that,” he said.

“The injury happened out of nothing and I thought I initially broke my foot.

“It was a difficult time to diagnose as the club doctor was off due to COVID and didn’t realise the extent of the damage until four or five weeks after.

“I was told to rest up and came back but it was still sore, so I realised I needed to go and see a specialist and he told me I suffered a lisfranc injury on the foot.

“I spent four or five months resting and then was back on the anti-gravity machine and the rehabilitation was going well, however, when I went back on the pitch is started to get sore again.

“The specialist discussed about going under the knife to repair the damage but 70% of athletes retire from an operation, with a high percentage also not able to feature at the same level, so that wasn’t an option.

“Thankfully, with the use anti-inflammatories and a sterile injection, I’ve been able to manage it and it’s great to be back.”

McCullough’s career in the Irish League started at Glentoran where he made his debut during a Boxing Day ‘Big Two’ clash against Linfield at Windsor Park.

A year later, the set-piece specialist would find himself on loan at Ards under the watchful eye of Niall Currie.

“My first memories playing football was at Newbridge at the age of 10 or 11,” he continued.

“I spent a couple of years there and then moved to Linfield at under-16 level and played a few games for the Swifts also, before signing for Crusaders for a six month spell.

“After that, I made the decision to sign for Glentoran and I remember winning the Steel and Sons Cup final on Christmas Day and then making my senior debut for the club a day later at Windsor Park.

“Eddie Patterson brought me on for the last 20 minutes or so and it is an occasion I’ll remember for the rest of my life as the atmosphere was electric.

“I spent the 2013/14 season on loan at Ards and it was thoroughly important as it toughened me up, gave me more experience and Niall Currie was brilliant.”

The 27-year-old would make a return to The Oval after that loan spell ended but would find himself at Carrick Rangers for a solitary season as the Amber Army reached the League Cup final in 2017.

“I went back to Glentoran for two seasons after my time at Ards but I struggled to get any game time,” he added.

“To be fair, that’s testament to Marcus Kane as he was so consistent and is still arguably the best left-back in the league.

“Alan Kernaghan told me I wasn’t being offered a new deal at Glentoran so I knew I had to move on and I felt Carrick Rangers offered me the best chance to get game time.

“It was definitely a memorable year there as we reached the League Cup final and ultimately came up short against Ballymena, but we retained our Premiership status with a play-off win against Institute.”

Ahead of the 2017/18 campaign, McCullough’s consistent performances in east Antrim caught the attention of Ballymena boss David Jeffrey who was quick to attain his signature.

McCullough has remained a Sky Blue to this very day and hopes to finally land a winners’ medal in the near future.

“It was a no brainer to sign for Ballymena when I was approached,” he reflected.

“I knew that Davy and Bryan McLoughlin could improve me as a player and I’ve really enjoyed my time at Ballymena so far.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t managed to get over the line in a few Cup finals but I’m hoping that my luck will change on that front soon.

“However, I have been welcomed since day one and I’ve enjoyed playing in Europe and the season we finished second was special.

“Despite being out for so long, Davy offered me a new two-year contract and I didn’t see it coming but I was only too glad to sign it.

“I’m trying to make up for last year, help as much as I can on the pitch because I know how tough it was to watch when I was injured.

“We still have plenty to play for, our upcoming Irish Cup tie against Larne is massive but we know we can beat anyone and it is another route into Europe.

“We are also only four points behind Coleraine in the race for the top six, so we will try our best to sneak in there.”