Paul Rachubka has returned to light training at Blackpool, with a knee injury not as bad as first feared.
Seasiders keeper making impressive progress in rehabilitation
Paul Rachubka has returned to light training at Blackpool, with a knee injury not as bad as first feared.
The goalkeeper looked to be facing up to another lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a recurrence of the problem which kept him out of the first half of the season.
A second operation was required to repair the damage, leaving the 29-year-old sweating on his involvement in the remainder of the 2010/11 campaign.
He is, however, recovering well, with a return to the training ground offering him fresh hope.
"It's been a long couple of weeks in the gym so I'm really enjoying being back out there," Rachubka told Blackpool's
official website.
"It was the same injury that was repaired and stitched all back down where I'd torn my cartilage, keeping everything in which is what they've got to try and do.
"But it went again and this time the surgeon trimmed it and removed the damage.
Fixed
"Hopefully I'll make a full recovery and it shouldn't affect day-to-day training.
"I did it in training on the Thursday and by the Saturday it was all fixed because the surgeon had done it quickly.
"It was the best I could have hoped for. I've had a quite quick recovery for what's happened."
Having faced something of a goalkeeping crisis a few weeks ago, Blackpool boss Ian Holloway now has a number of options at his disposal.
Rachubka believes that can only be good for the club, as they continue with their efforts to preserve their Premier League status.
"Obviously Matt Gilks is back now, Richard Kingson is doing well and Mark Halstead staked his claim with the minutes he got on Monday night [against Chelsea]," he said.
"Competition is what we all want and I'm sure it's going to give the manager a few headaches."
