Andrew Davies column

It was fantastic to see Rory playing for Northern Ireland this week.

The chance just to go away with the national team must be a great experience and to finally get on and play the full 90 minutes in Israel is brilliant for him.

I can imagine it being quite a hostile place to go, so to get a draw was a real credit.

Rory’s a good lad and I’ve a lot of time for him. He’s really down to earth and fantastic to have around the place.

It’s also good for the club to have someone involved for their country. It shows that people are taking notice of what we are doing at Bradford.

I watched the England game and thought we played very well. Poland had a couple of chances at 1-0, and it got a bit nervous, but we deserved the win and can now look forward to Brazil.

As a player, it’s a massive boost for our game when we qualify for the World Cup and I think this team can only get better.

Young pros like Townsend, Wilshere and Welbeck are all going to learn so much from being up against some of the best players in the world. This team is developing and I’m sure next summer will bring out the best in them.

It’s a frustrating time for me to be out again. I had worked so hard to get back from the last injury and made a good start to the season both personally and with the team.

But I’ve had injuries over my career and always come back fitter and stronger – and this time I know that my knee is completely fixed.

Last time there was a tiny bit of damage that didn’t need sorting at the time. But playing the games I have since meant that it did now, so the whole knee will be fine.

I’m on crutches for a few weeks but then I’ll be up and running again – and back playing in three months.

I always think injuries will put years on you when you are older, so it’s better to get my knee fixed now at 28 and know that it will be fine.