Chris Hughes thought he had played his last game for Tamworth FC.
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After doing his ACL for the third time four rounds into the 2019 season, Hughes thought his playing days were done.
But, after getting the "itch" again a couple of years ago, at Gipps Street on Saturday he played his first competitive game in almost four years as FC took on Alstonville in a third round Australia Cup clash.
It was a tough outing for FC with the visitors a class above and dominating the contest from the outset to claim a 7-nil victory.
Opening the scoring in the eighth minute, they pushed on to lead 5-nil at half-time.
Under a constant barrage of attack in the first half, FC contained Alstonville a lot better in the second half holding them scoreless for almost 35 minutes.
It was one of the positives.
Another was Hughes' return, with the midfielder a core part of their Northern Inland Premier League triumph in 2018 and shaping again to be before the injury.
The last time his left knee - the first two times were on his right - he said he knew "immediately" he'd done his ACL.
"Once you know the first feeling you know, that's it," he said.
"It wasn't contact either, it was just dud knees I think."
Having been through the surgery and rehab process twice already he initially didn't do anything about it.
"I just thought that was it," he said.
"But I got the itch again a couple of years ago and almost 18 months ago now I got it operated on."
It wasn't really one specific thing that lit the fuse for the comeback, rather a combination of a few things.
Sport, especially soccer, had always been a big part of Hughes' life and only 30 he felt he was "still young enough not to give it away".
After winning back-to-back NIPL titles in 2018 and 19, he had also seen the club go through a period of big change.
"Just watching the guys I just wanted to get back out there rather than sitting on the sidelines," he said.
"Although I'm not going to be where I was I'm sure a few years ago, I'm going to try and help out."
The knee isn't "100 per cent" yet, but "doesn't feel too bad" and with another month to build up his fitness and strength he's hopeful he can "be competitive".
"I think it's more my general fitness," he said.
"The touches on the ball aren't as bad as I thought they'd be."
He has returned to a very different-looking side to when he last played with a lot of new faces. Seven of the side on Saturday were playing their first game for the club.
"First trial game a few weeks ago it was I'm Chris who are you?," he joked.
FC coaches Robert Jeffery and Glenn Boonstra weren't disheartened by the result. They had a fair idea of what they were up against and were looking at it more as a great learning opportunity.
They don't often encounter a side quality of Alstonville.
"I'm happy with what we learnt," Boonstra said.
They are, Jeffrey said, very much in a "rebuilding phase".
They had one player - Reagan Popplewell - who was only playing his second ever game of soccer. Another has come over from union but has played a pretty high level of fustal before.
"It is a work in progress what we've got," he said.
"And I think it will develop going forward."
