Preston North End full-back Billy Jones couldn't have timed his return from double-hernia surgery much better. Alan Irvine raised a few eyebrows last week when he revealed that the defender was back in contention for first team duties and after completing 60 minutes for the reserves in the 1-0 win at Blackpool on Wednesday night he could provide the answer to North End's lack of defensive numbers for the trip to Carrow Road.
The Club's official website, pne.com, took a trip to the training ground to catch up with the England Under-21 international.
Billy you must have been happy to have got 60 minutes under your belt in the reserves on Wednesday night?
Yes, it was great to be honest. Every player knows how frustrating it is being injured and I've been going insane stuck in the physio room, so it was good to be out there with no hitches or glitches.
How frustrating a time for you has it being injured when a new manager comes in?
The new gaffer came in and it was Charlton at home and I tried to rush back for that reason, I knew a new gaffer was coming in but there was a little set-back with the hamstring. Obviously to have two injuries at the same time, a hernia and a hamstring injury, to be then told that it was a hernia after the Burnley game I just couldn't believe it to be honest.
You did manage to soldier on though and played through the pain barrier in that vital win at Southampton.
Yes, once I knew that it was a double hernia, I knew that people had played through them before and I went to Southampton a bit edgy and not sure what was going to happen. I got through the game fine and then I thought I would be able to play the rest of the three games over Christmas with no problems, but it was just one bad kick against Scunthorpe and everything seized up, everything went tight and I felt like I couldn't even run or move properly. Maybe if I didn't do that bad kick against Scunthorpe then I might have got through that game and played in the rest of them but there was no point after that because it went the worst it had been so it was just a case of waiting for the operation.
With any injury you have to be careful not rush back too early, how has your progress gone?
All the physios, Kempy, Johnny and Matt have all shown me what I need to do strengthen it core-wise. I am just going to carry on doing the extra-work after training just to keep it just as strong.
Any idea whether the gaffer has you in his plans for this weekend?
I'm really not sure to be honest, nothing has been said so far but I feel confident that if called upon I would be able to do a good job again for the team.
Obviously Youl's suspension and injury does leave us a bit short in defensive areas so you might be a consideration?
Obviously it is another massive game to come back into, every game now is big for us. Being injured I have had a lot of time to think and I have been watching the games and thinking about what is happening in the games, just as much as if I was playing in them. The position we are in is not good for anyone, I appreciate that and I will be working just as hard as anyone to go on to make sure we get out of this.
Watching the games have you seen the improvements that we have made over the last month?
Definitely, those big games over Christmas where we didn't perform very well hurt us but as a team now we are playing really well. The last two home wins against Watford and West Brom have been excellent so fair play to all the lads.
Have you been monitoring Sean St. Ledger's form at right-back?
Ledge is a quality player, everyone knows that and I think he's shown his versatility. Speaking to him he's desperate to get back to centre-half, even though I thought he'd like it more at full-back, he likes to dribble out from the back, so I thought he'd like that role at right-back, getting forward and having a dribble. Hopefully I can go in and do what he has been doing and make the back-four just as stable as what it has been, because the defence has been looking really good, nice and strong - I just hope to be a part of that now.
The gaffer has added a bit of competition for you at right-back with the purchase of Michael Hart.
Yes, with Harty coming in that's good for everyone. He spoke to us before January and said that he was going to bring in another right-back and a centre-half because he said we needed more strength in depth and he's got both of them now. Everyone would agree that we needed that strength and there is good competition for places, you want that at every club, it just makes every player play better and that's good.
West Brom was a big win for us but from now on in every game is going to be like that?
Before the West Brom game we might have been happy to take anything from them and then win the next few games coming up, the games against Norwich, Coventry and Colchester. These are really big games, I wouldn't say we have got to win them but they are very important and we all know that. Whoever wants it most is going to win, Norwich are in the same position and they know that too but hopefully they will want it the most.
Finally how has Chris Brown been knowing that suspension rules him out of a chance against his former club?
With Browny coming in he has been absolutely quality for us. Not just because it is against Norwich but if it was against anyone he would be upset, we will miss him but I am sure he will come straight back into the team and do the same job that he has been doing for the next 17 games.
Back Billy to score first in a 2-0 Preston win at Norwich at massive odds of 430/1 with pnebetting.com
