Ross County defender Jake Vokins is raring to go after making comeback to squad
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Jake Vokins is looking forward to making a long-awaited return to the football pitch after being named in Ross County’s squad in a league match for the first time this season.
Glimpses of the full back in Staggies colours have been few and far between, as he signed on loan from Southampton after County’s pre-season friendly at Elgin City.
Covid-19 then tore through the Global Energy Stadium, forcing two League Cup group stage matches to be cancelled.
Vokins did feature against Brora Rangers and Montrose, but then picked up an ankle injury that took him out of contention until last weekend’s trip to Rangers, when he was named as an unused substitute.
Having been building up his fitness levels in training in recent weeks, and with no matches over the next two weekends giving him the chance to fine tune any lingering issues, Vokins is keen to make an impact sooner rather than later.
“It definitely feels good to be back in and around the team and back into training now,” Vokins said.
“I definitely missed being around the boys, but in terms of my recovery and rehab there were a little bit better facilities down in Southampton.
“We thought that would aid my recovery to come back here fitter and stronger.
“It was definitely tough. It’s always bad getting injured, but especially right before the start of the league season – I was raring to go and looking forward to playing.
“Everything happens for a reason, and it was disappointing, but I’m back now and I’m raring to go.”
Vokins had an unusual settling in period compared to most new signings, as he spent a chunk of his time out injured back at parent club Southampton.
He has still been keeping an eye on County in the meantime though, so hopes he will be able to hit the ground running.
“I missed getting to know the boys and how they play,” he explained.
“I’ve been watching every game, seeing how the boys are doing and adapting to how Ross County play.
“It was different watching the games in the stands when I came back up. You can see more of the picture, how players communicate and move. Coming up here I can learn that better because I can see the whole pitch, how the gaffer speaks and the players on the pitch.
“Now I have a couple more weeks of training, so I can work on fitness before getting ready to go again. Even when I was back at Southampton I was doing fitness work, so I would say I’m at 100 per cent.”
