'I’ve been out for 23 months - and am a better player for it': Portsmouth man gunning to prove a point after Bristol City switch

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Rob Atkinson’s half-time Adams Park withdrawal had been predetermined, rather than the uncomfortable consequence of form concerns or fitness worries.

Pompey’s caution was entirely understandable, considering it had been almost 23 months since the central defender last started a first-team fixture.

A flourishing Bristol City career attracting admiring glances from the Premier League temporarily stalled following an ACL injury sustained at Sunderland in February 2023.

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Subsequently undergoing two operations, by Atkinson’s own admission the lengthy absence was a ‘disaster’ for his footballing ambition - yet the 26-year-old is adamant it has made him a better player.

Rob Atkinson made his first start since February 2023 in Pompey's 2-0 defeat at Wycombe. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImagesRob Atkinson made his first start since February 2023 in Pompey's 2-0 defeat at Wycombe. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
Rob Atkinson made his first start since February 2023 in Pompey's 2-0 defeat at Wycombe. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages

And the Pompey loanee is relishing proving his point to the Fratton faithful - and his parent club - during the remainder of the season.

Atkinson told The News: ‘I would rather have not gone through that tedious time with injuries, but it has definitely shaped and moulded me into the person I am now. There are other things which happened in that time which also have made me even stronger.

‘If anything, it has made me feel football isn’t as important as I thought it was before - and I think that helps. I don’t feel as much pressure when I’m playing football, which is good. Playing with freedom.

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‘Of course there’s going to be that natural doubt as to whether my body can do it again, but, from a talent point of view, there are no doubts.

‘I have trained a lot, I feel good, I feel I’m at the level in training. Obviously training and games are two different things, but in those aspects I have been absolutely fine, I feel like I’ve improved, which is weird.

‘It’s the way you look at it. A lot of people can see being injured for so long as the worst thing to possibly happen. I saw it as an opportunity to improve in other areas of my life, not necessarily football.

‘I could educate myself in certain things and, even from a football point of view, you can use it to hone in on your physical ability. I did a lot of upper body gym, put on a lot of upper body mass, I tried to spin it into a positive and use it as a stepping stone to do other things.

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‘I educated myself on finances, read loads of books, started a family, a lot of things happened in those two years.

‘It has been a disaster from a football point of view, but there have been some real high points from my life point of view.

‘We are all humans and go home to our family, but it’s how we look at it, how we go about it. During that time, I was in control of what I did, so I decided to spend it as productively as I could.

‘Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a few tiny niggles here and there since (his ACL), but that’s just the life of a footballer, you’re always playing with some sort of injury.

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‘There are going to be those over-hanging doubts, of course there are, but there’s nothing you can do about that. You’ve just got to get on with it.’

That highly-encouraging display was followed by a start at Wycombe in the FA Cup third round, being among nine changes implemented by John Mousinho.

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Still, it represented another important 45 minutes under his belt as he eases his back into first-team football.

He added: ‘For those that don’t know the intricacies behind the ACL, they take the hamstring from your leg to repair it.

‘Speaking to Regan Poole, they took the graft out of the opposite hamstring. Whereas with me, it was the same leg. With hindsight, I wish they had done that with me

‘I thought that was normal, I didn’t have the choice, it was what everyone was telling me to do. Essentially it weakens your hamstring permanently, it’s just something you have to live with, the sooner you accept it the better.

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‘Then in October or November 2023, I had a minor grade 2 tear to my hamstring. It wasn’t a significant injury, yet took me a lot longer to get back from.

‘Once I returned, my T junction (hamstring muscle) erupted in March 2024, which was painful and required surgery, putting me out for that season (2023-24).

‘Since then I’ve played the whole of pre-season, seven or eight under-21s matches, and am now at Pompey looking for games.

‘It is what it is, I have accepted it and I’ve seen the back of it now to be honest. I’m fine.’

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