Defender Lee Hodson played 70 minutes in a training game on Thursday, as he continued his rehabilitation from injury.
The Dons right-back, who was among the substitutes for the FA Cup victory over Port Vale but remained unused, has been sidelined for over 12 weeks due to the ankle ligament damage he sustained in the clash with Chesterfield back in August.
“Everything felt good and it was just great to be back on the pitch and kicking a ball about again,” Hodson said after Thursday’s training match.
“It was good for me to get 70 minutes under my belt in a game situation. It’s all about building the confidence in my ankle back up and this game has helped to do that.
“Being on the bench last Saturday was the first step and now I’ve got another full week of training now which will help me.”
Hodson’s eventual return will provide manager Karl Robinson with a selection headache, due to the current form Jordan Spence, who has performed well in place of Hodson and fellow right-back George Baldock, who himself as just returned to full training.
Although eager to get back to competitive action, Hodson understands that he won’t be able to walk straight back into the starting XI.
“I know I’m going to have to bide my team because the team’s been playing well,” he added. “Jordan’s done well at right-back so I will need to wait for my turn but while I’m doing that I’m going to be working hard in training and keeping my fitness up so when that time does come, I’m ready.”
Winger Danny Green also took part in Thursday’s training game, as he continued his recovery from a lengthy injury lay-off, however George Baldock (ankle) and Giorgio Rasulo (hamstring) didn’t feature.
“Everything felt good and it was just great to be back on the pitch and kicking a ball about again,” Hodson said after Thursday’s training match.
“It was good for me to get 70 minutes under my belt in a game situation. It’s all about building the confidence in my ankle back up and this game has helped to do that.
“Being on the bench last Saturday was the first step and now I’ve got another full week of training now which will help me.”
Hodson’s eventual return will provide manager Karl Robinson with a selection headache, due to the current form Jordan Spence, who has performed well in place of Hodson and fellow right-back George Baldock, who himself as just returned to full training.
Although eager to get back to competitive action, Hodson understands that he won’t be able to walk straight back into the starting XI.
“I know I’m going to have to bide my team because the team’s been playing well,” he added. “Jordan’s done well at right-back so I will need to wait for my turn but while I’m doing that I’m going to be working hard in training and keeping my fitness up so when that time does come, I’m ready.”
Winger Danny Green also took part in Thursday’s training game, as he continued his recovery from a lengthy injury lay-off, however George Baldock (ankle) and Giorgio Rasulo (hamstring) didn’t feature.
