By Stuart Wilson
Copyright dailyrecord
Anton Dowds admits he fought back the emotion after ending his year of injury hell. The big striker raised the roof at Somerset as he stepped off the bench in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Ross County. It marked the long awaited return of Ayr’s number seven, who ruptured his ACL almost a year to the day before his comeback. Dowds, who was flying in the early weeks of last season before disaster struck, now can’t wait to make up for lost time. He said: “It’s been a long year – first of all coming to terms with the injury and then getting into rehab and everything that comes with that. “I’ve been very lucky with my surgery that I had very little swelling and my knee didn’t react to any of the movements I was asking of it. “It was a serious injury and when you’re on crutches for three months, you can literally see your muscle mass fading away. It’s a long road to build that back up. “Being patient and trusting the process was one of the hardest things. “But the gaffer has been brilliant with me and kept me involved all the way along. He would ask for my input on various things and that meant a lot.” Dowds earned a huge reception when coming off the bench for his 12 minute cameo against County. He added: “I understand what I can do at the minute and the manager knows how far he can push me. It’s all about building my foundations up. “I’m always doing extra bits after training and feel like I’ve been on a six month pre-season but I’m just delighted to be on the other side of the injury now. “It was an emotional day being back. I’ve been involved in a few warm-ups this season but just being on the bench and having the reception from the fans when I went on was incredible. “They’ve been amazing to me, always asking how I’m getting on and made me feel a part of the club regardless of being out injured.” Thrilled boss Brown added: “I’m delighted for Anton. He’s a quality pro who’s worked so hard to get back in the shape that he has. “He has an intelligence about him and brings a calmness to our play. The reaction of the fans was incredible and it gave us a real lift when both he and Ben (Dempsey) came on in that final 20 minutes.”
