When a player has been out for 18 months with injury, the temptation to rush back into action must be overwhelming.

The badly fractured right leg sustained by Gordon Watson in a West Yorkshire derby clash with Huddersfield Town very nearly finished the Bradford City striker's career.

It has been a long haul back to fitness for the likeable Londoner since sustaining the injury in February, 1997, but the news that he was back in full training during pre-season was great news for all Bantams fans.

Watson received a rapturous welcome on his return to first team action in mid-August as a substitute against Lincoln City.

And although he admits this left him hungry for more, the former club record signing recognises that patience is the key to a successful return.

"I need to do things right. The temptation is to do too much. You are hungry for it. But I have to make sure I don't go over the top and get another injury.

"It was a brilliant reception when I came on against Lincoln but it was a false dawn because I wasn't ready. I now feel 50 per cent better than I was against Lincoln and yet I am still not fully fit.

"I played 25 minutes that night and felt OK but there was no way I could have done a full 90. After returning like that I felt I was ready for more but instead I realise now it will take me 20 or so games to be back to full fitness.

"A little taste means you think you can do it all. But my aim is to play in the reserves and hopefully get involved on the bench."

Watson's lively performance in the reserve side's midweek victory over York City was a heartening sight and has earned the striker a place in the first team squad for today's visit of Sheffield United.

The 27-year-old continues to work extremely hard in training, even going so far as coming in to train with the youth players if the first team squad have a day off.

He says he feels a lot fitter and believes a few more reserve games will leave him raring to go.

"My touch was OK and maybe on a different night I could have scored a few goals. But I went home and thought 'I have contributed to the team there'.

"That is all I want to do. I was feeling a bit tired and stiff after Wednesday's reserve game but I enjoyed it. I thought I did all right.

"It is still a novelty to play a game so to get through 90 minutes was brilliant.

"I felt tired in stages but the main thing is to build the fitness and sharpen me up.

"That is what the games are for and to try and get me into the first team again.

"However it is important I perform as well. You can't be playing rubbish and just getting the 90 minutes under your belt. You have to do more than that and play well. Hopefully I am contributing.

"I just want to keep going and play when the manager says I should play. The thing is both me and John McGinlay played for the reserves in midweek. Our aim has to be get in the first team and we want to put the two in at the moment under pressure.

Neither of us are 100 per cent fit but when we are then I think we will do just that.

"At the moment I am in when people have days off. I have been with the youth team all week to make sure I don't slacken off."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.