The last eight months have tested Chris Cadden’s mental fortitude but as he prepares for his long-awaited Hibs return, he says he has learned a lot about himself and those around him.

Admitting to nervous moments all along his road to rehabilitation, the 27-year-old full-back, who sustained an achilles injury just 22 minutes from the end of last season, overcame one of the last remaining psychological and physiological hurdles on Friday and is now desperate to shake off the rust and get back to competitive action.

“The first time without the [protective] boot was the hardest. I was standing there and I was told to take a step and I was nervous. I was like which foot should I even put forward first, I was so worried. Then running for the first time was big as well. But the biggest moment was probably on Friday.

Chris Cadden was forced off with an achilles injury during Hibs' final league game of last season, against city rivals Hearts. Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group

“I had mentioned to the physio that although I’m feeling great, the action I did when I done my achilles, I still hadn’t done that and I wanted to do that before I go into a game. So, Dave Gray worked it into a session. It was a header over my right shoulder, where I had to run and jump off my right leg and head the ball out the park. It was a simple thing but I was nervous. We did it no problem, just as part of a drill. We did it at least six times and that was big for me. It now feels like everything is good so we can kick on, which is great.”

Great for the Scottish right-back but also for his manager. Without Lewis Miller, who is on international duty with Australia for the Asian Cup and could be until early next month, Nick Montgomery arrived while Cadden was still being “man-marked by the physio every day in the gym” and while that was frustrating for the player – “I have never been in that situation before. When a new manager has come in there has always been that buzz, you want to go and impress and get yourself in the team” – the new gaffer made sure to include him in team meetings, aware that he could have an important role to play in the second half of the season.

“The manager has honestly been brilliant with me. He’s chatted with me and he’s made sure I’ve been in every meeting. He speaks to me after games about people in my position and what it is he wants. He’s been great. He hasn’t put any pressure on me, he just wants me ready when I do come back. All the coaching staff have been brilliant and have made me feel part of it and I really appreciate that.”.

In Dubai at Hibs’ warm weather training camp, he has revelled in being part of the squad and building towards a first team return after the winter break. It has been a long road back from that injury picked up in the final game of the season, against capital rivals Hearts. It robbed him of his stag do, and forced him to battle mental demons and boredom as he ploughed his way through every movie and box set the various streaming channels had to offer. “Especially in the first few weeks, while I was in the boot and I was told just to just sit still and chill. I battered through Yellowstone – that was one of the best – and I even started liking country music after that! To be honest, though, I think I completed Netflix!

“Those first couple of weeks were torture. I was in the cast and they were worried about the scar healing properly. It is so important that there is no infection and I had to just sit there.” That was tough for a man who usually spends his down time playing golf and taking his dog for long walks. “I really struggled. Even making myself a coffee, I couldn’t do that. I had to ask my missus.”

Allowing himself an initial pity-fest, as his mates enjoyed his stag do without him, and he came to terms with his situation, he eventually picked himself up.

“The week before me and my brother [his twin Nicky, who plays for Barnsley] had been talking on the phone and I was saying imagine we beat Hearts, get fourth, you go to the play-off final and then we go on my stag do. I was like this could be one of the best weeks of our lives. As it turned out, we got beat, I got injured, Nicky lost [missing out on promotion to the Championship in the final minute of extra time] and I missed my stag do. It genuinely couldn't have gone any worse! But that’s life. You have to move on.

“I’m very lucky, I have unbelievable people around me. My family, my mum and dad, and my missus, Caitlin, they’ve all been brilliant because I’m sure I wasn’t fun to be around for those eight weeks I was in the boot. Caitlin has been an absolute gem.

“Even my brother. He was up and he was a bit worried about me because he could sense I was down so he came round every single day one week just to make sure I was all right. And, the boys here, they’ve been brilliant and have picked me up when I’ve been around the training ground and they are almost as buzzing as I am for me to get back.”

There was a guard of honour as he finally escaped the gym and headed outside for his first outdoor session. “I opened the door and they were all waiting there, clapping. It was really nice. I had a massive beamer because I don’t really like being the centre of attention and I didn’t know what to do. But it meant the world to me.” It is a measure of how highly Cadden is regarded by his peers and an indication of how close knit the squad is.

“It is great being back amongst the boys again. A lot of the new signings hadn't seen me play and had only seen me floating around the training ground so it’s good to be in about it. It leaves a massive gap in your life that can’t really be filled so it is nice to be back. You really, really do appreciate even training and being back out there with the boys.”

That’s easy to say in the warmth of Dubai but he says even returning to the freezing conditions at the club’s East Mains training ground won’t dilute his enthusiasm. Not when there is still half a season to sink his teeth into.

“I always thought that I would miss it most when the boys were winning but it was more so in the hard times because then I would think ‘maybe I could have made a difference’. It wasn’t as bad early on because I was solely focused on my injury and getting back, and I knew I wasn’t ready, but the big one was Hearts, under the lights at Easter Road. By then I was back running and kicking a ball and feeling good and I was desperate to be back out there. But there are still plenty of games. That is good for my mind. Even when that Ross County game got postponed, I was buzzing!

“There has been a lot of hard work to get me back and I have to name check [lead physio] Gav Dempsey, he has been unbelievable with me and Kieran Duffy, as well, in the gym. At the start you do feel sorry for yourself and ask why. But then you realise it is what it is and you have to learn from it or grow from it and make sure you come back better. I want to be able to look back in five years and say ‘you know, it was rubbish at the time but it might not have been the worst thing because you came back stronger and better’.”

'I was nervous' - Chris Cadden ready for Hibs return after overcoming biggest hurdle on road back from injury

Comments