He had to overcome a knee injury loaded with more than just physical problems – but Motherwell winger Steven Lawless is now ready to make a Fir Park impact.
The ‘Well academy product returned to the club in January after a short spell south of the border with Burton Albion. But after a debut against Rangers just two days after signing, he suffered a knee injury in training, returning to the starting XI away to Formartine United last weekend.
Lawless says it was a hard knock to overcome: “I went to play a reverse ball which is the pass that I’ve made my whole career and there was nothing in it. I just heard a little click and there was a slight tear in my medial. I’ve got myself back in training but it’s still in your head a little bit, especially with your knee.
“I’ve never had any knee problems so the first few weeks you are just testing it out and you aren’t training to your full capacity. Gradually, I’ve felt myself get fitter and fitter, it’s not in my head at all now so hopefully the gaffer’s seen that in my performances in training.
“I try to do my best in training every single day and I feel that I’m close to that level. There are big games coming up and it’s the best time of the season to get consistency. Personally, I’ve never had an injury like that before but knees are a touchy subject for football players.
“When I heard that little pop, the worst things in the world go through your head. I broke my leg when I was younger and you have that mental barrier that you need to get through. It’s that first tackle when you come back from something like a leg break because you don’t really know what to expect.
“It’s the same with the knee because you’ve got things in your head that you don’t know whether you can commit to things. That was just a small injury but it was my first and hopefully my last.”
While a starting return was had in the Scottish Cup, Lawless operated in an unfamiliar role. Usually a winger, he was played in midfield by manager Graham Alexander. He’s happy to play wherever needed, but Lawless believes he adds something different to the Motherwell forward line.
He said: “We didn’t really have much of a discussion to be honest. I played half of my games there with Burton as well. A few managers have said to me over the years that they see me as that kind of player -in a number 10 role rather than a winger. I can see why they think that because when you think of a winger, you think of someone rapid who will get to the line and cross the ball.
“Let’s be honest, that’s not my game at all and most of my joy is playing on the opposite side, coming in from the right onto my left foot. I can see that being my role as a number 10 or a midfielder. I had a couple of weeks in training and I could see him testing me out in that role.
“I played centre mid and I feel comfortable there. I get more of the ball there and I enjoy getting on the ball as much as possible. If that’s where the gaffer sees me then I’m going to need to do a job there and I think I can still get numbers from there.
“I think all the boys are doing a great job but I feel that I’m completely different from any of the other boys that are playing there just now. My qualities are different from most of them. They’ve got things that I’m not good at and I’ve got things that they aren’t the best at too. If I get a run there then it will just be the same, trying to create as many chances as possible from that position and taking chances – it’s my job to take chances and create things.”
NTOF now offers a YouTube channel featuring exclusive interviews, post-match discussion, in-depth debate, and much more – LIKE and SUBSCRIBE and don’t miss any of our videos.