A nasty hamstring injury and a subsequent operation left midfielder Taylor Charters on the sidelines for close to four months, but his return to fitness has put him right back on the frame at such a crucial stage of the campaign.
“It’s prefect timing really, just in time for the play-offs, and hopefully I can help the team get it over the line,” he told us when we spoke to him this morning.
“It’s been extremely frustrating for me to have to miss out, especially after just getting in the team. I was getting a run of starts, the team was doing well, and I was really enjoying my football.
“To get a bad injury that needed an operation, which put me out for four months, it was just really frustrating.
“But I’ve done the rehab work and the reward was getting onto the pitch at Sutton and then again on Sunday. It was a great feeling to come on in front of 20,000 fans at Bradford.
“The atmosphere was class. It made it even better having done all the hard work through to come on in a game like that. It was just great.”
Running out towards the wall of noise in front of the TV cameras must have been daunting but, if it was, that was brushed aside as he threw himself into the closing stages of the game.
“I wasn’t think about too much when I was sent on, to be honest,” he admitted. “I didn’t really pay attention to the crowd or the occasion much. It was all about just focusing on the game and doing the job I needed to do.
“I think I did ok. I just always try my best to help the team in any way possible when I come on, because that’s what I’m there to do.
“You have to do everything you can to make an impact, so it’s about trying to do everything right to help the team.”
With Bradford having that one-goal advantage, it’s now about Saturday and the home leg.
“It’s very important,” he agreed. “The atmosphere in the changing room and out on the training pitch is great.
“There’s a real confidence around the group at the moment. Even though we’re a goal down we know we can take confidence from the way we played on Sunday which we can take into the game on Saturday.
“I think we were really on top in the game in the second half and you have to think that we can do that again in front of our own crowd on Saturday. We have a full 90 minutes to peg it back.”
What would it mean for a Cumbrian lad to be part of a successful conclusion to the season?
“It’ll mean a lot,” he told us. “Obviously I’ve been at the club since I was nine so it would mean a lot to see it through and get promotion.
“We all want to get to the final but we know it would be horrendous if we got to Wembley and we didn’t win. We’ve just got to keep working hard and make sure we bring it back against Bradford first of all. We can then take it from there.
“And knowing it’s a big crowd again is class. The fans have been unbelievable all season and when they turn out in their numbers on Saturday it’s going to give us a real confidence boost, even from the warm-up.
“They have the advantage but they could well be coming here with holding onto that lead in their minds. We’re very confident that we can bring it back.”
And as for how many of his gang will be in the crowd to cheer him on, he told us: “I’ve lost count. They’re all coming to support me, a few in the Paddock, a few in the EWM, and we’re all looking forward to it.”
