Joel Senior is raring to go after overcoming an incredibly frustrating start to life at Bristol Rovers following his summer move from Morecambe.
The right-back featured throughout pre-season and then managed just four appearances before pulling up soon after coming on as a substitute at Stockport County back in August. Despite having an immaculate injury record last campaign, Senior had sustained a serious hamstring injury which kept him out for three months.
Having earned a dream League One move on the back of working his way up the pyramid while also moving down south for the first time, the Mancunian was already having to deal with settling into a brand new environment.
But now, after a bright 45-minute display at Barnsley in the FA Cup and then a substitute appearance at Leyton Orient three days later, the 25-year-old can now be well and truly deemed back.
“It’s good to be back,” Senior confessed. “Obviously it was a tough start to my life here really but to be back out on the pitch with the boys is everything that I’ve worked towards.
“I’m enjoying it. I’m just getting used to playing. I’m not fully, 100 per cent fit yet but once I get a run of games I feel like I’ll be able to show what I can do on the pitch and I’m really looking forward to doing that in front of the fans as well.
“It’s been a weird one. I’ve only had one injury before this and that was a long one as well. To have another one, it was so frustrating at first. Coming off the pitch, I was obviously upset and angry but I didn’t really know what it was but then when you get told the news and it’s going to be quite a long one, you’ve just got to kind of prepare yourself for what’s to come. And then when it comes, just put in all the graft that you can to get yourself back out there and back better, really.
“When I’ve been in the gym, I feel like I’ve worked hard to get to where I need to be, to come back and be in a good place.
“I had pre-season and then only a few games and then the injury,” he added. So it’s been a hard start but also it makes you more motivated for when you come back fit to help the team and show the fans what a good player I can be on my day. I’m looking forward to being out there and showing the fans what I can do.”
That other serious injury the right-back referred to was an ACL suffered in early 2022 having, coincidentally, also recently joined a new club at that point in Carlisle United from Altrincham.
Senior missed the best part of 11 months of action before coming back in time to help out the Cumbrian outfit with their promotion push out of League Two, winning the play-offs that season.
Although this setback was frustrating, the timescale of his absence on the sidelines was nowhere near the severity of his only other injury to date which was something the 25-year-old admitted he used as part of his attempts to remain positive.
“I’m always someone who is quite positive, especially after my ACL injury,” Senior admitted. “When I heard the news of that, it was a lot harder to take than three months. So three months seems kind of light to me even though I’ve only had two injuries in my career, it felt like, ‘I can do this, I’ve already done something that’s a lot worse than this.’
“So to keep myself mentally strong, I’d just say I worked harder than I did when I was fit which is something that just made me want to get back on the pitch even more, just to work hard, to get out on the pitch, to stop doing the sessions that I was doing in the gym.
“But yeah, it is big mentally as well as obviously physically. It’s a big challenge but I feel like I dealt with it quite well.”
Despite play-off success with Carlisle, the right-back had to wait another year for his League One opportunity after making the move to Morecambe that summer who had just been relegated from the third tier.
An excellent campaign for the Shrimps last term, during which Senior made 50 appearances across all competitions, put the defender in the shop window.
Although it was going to be a major change of scenery, once Rovers submitted their interest over the summer and laid out their plans for the club, the 25-year-old knew that was where he wanted to go next.
“I’ve enjoyed it to be honest,” Senior reflected. “I wanted to take myself out of my comfort zone. Obviously I had a good season last year so I had a few options where I could go but I felt like once I spoke to the club, the manager, the staff here and the training ground and the vision for the future of the club, it felt like a no-brainer really.
“I’ve really enjoyed coming into work every day. The facilities are really good. I really enjoy working with a team that we’ve got a good group here. So I’m enjoying myself a lot. I’m liking Bristol. So everything’s going well other than the injury, obviously, which was a setback, but I’m settled. I’m happy and I’m looking forward to playing.
“I’d say it’s different,” the Mancunian added when asked how Bristol compares with Manchester. “I was living in the city in Manchester as well so it’s different but I think they’re both nice places. I enjoy living in both. Obviously, Manchester’s home for me.
“It’s different. I’ve never lived down south before but I’m enjoying living on my own in my own space and just getting used to a different city, really.”
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There is a strong possibility that Senior could earn his first League One start this weekend and, if that is to be the case, it will come against one of the fiercest outfits assembled at this level in Birmingham City.
As excellent defensively as Taylor Moore is, Rovers have rarely had a natural right-back in position this season with the central defender the latest player to cover that side and add real quality to the team’s attacking endeavours.
Most Gasheads have only seen Senior play for 13 minutes, if at all, with most of the 25-year-old’s appearances in blue-and-white quarters so far coming away from the Mem.
The defender was handed a debut off of the bench in the 1-0 victory over Northampton Town on the opening day and also played the entirety of the EFL Trophy draw with Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s in front of a minimal crowd.
His other four appearances have come away from home and therefore Senior is looking forward to having the opportunity to demonstrate to his new supporters just what he’s capable of.
“I’d say driving with the ball, taking the team up the pitch, helping the boys in the attack,” the right-back explained when asked to set out the elements of his game.
“I feel like I’ve got good legs, good pace, so probably they’re my biggest strengths and getting assists. I didn’t get too many last year but I feel like I could have got a lot more. Obviously sometimes it takes a striker to put it in the net.
“But probably creating for the team and getting the team up the pitch and obviously I’m a defender as well so that’s my first job. I’d say I’m good in 1v1 situations because I’m quite quick.
“So that’s probably what I’m looking forward to showing the fans. Hopefully energy to get up and down the pitch and show them what a good player I can be.”