Jon Parkin enjoyed his first football last Saturday for the first time since his hamstring injury in the 1-1 draw against Rotherham in November.
By Liz OwenJon Parkin enjoyed his first football last Saturday for the first time since his hamstring injury sustained against Rotherham last November.
The frontman limped out of action after suffering a hamstring injury only minutes after opening the scoring. He went on to suffer a relapse on his original return to training.
It was a case of poacher turned gamekeeper when the six-goal striker, with 6 goals to his name this term, refereed a Highbury practise game before playing the closing minutes.
“It was nice to get involved,” Parkin said. “I was going to step up training this week, but obviously with the game being off and there being a session here at Highbury I managed to get involved for a short period and I really enjoyed it.”
Manager Graham Alexander organised the Highbury game following postponement of the league trip to Barnet. The Town squad spilt in two sides and even used separate changing rooms to add a competitive edge to the match.
Parkin liked the different role and revealed: “I enjoyed refereeing the game. I didn’t get many decisions wrong, I think I could have sent two players off in the first 10 minutes but I was very lenient! I had red and yellow cards but kept them in my pocket.”
The 32-year-old is now hoping to push on and finish his recovery.
“It’s been a bit of a grind. I managed to get back and then pulled up again in the first training session I took part in. I probably came back just a little bit too quickly.
“I just need to get fit and try and get in the team, and hopefully the goals will start coming from there.”
