Adam Bale is playing with a spring in his step following his return from a lengthy spell in the injury room.
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The midfielder saw his 2016-17 season cut short when he sustained a knee injury 30 seconds after coming off the bench in a friendly against Jarrow in October.
Since then, Bale’s road to recovery has been a long and arduous one which has included many psychological frustrations as he has battled his way back to fitness.
And while the 18-year-old has admitted to safc.com that these initial friendlies are a chance to dust off the cobwebs, the feeling of being back out on the grass is great.
“It has been good to be back out there,” he said.
“I have been using the games as building blocks and the different kick-off times have allowed me to build some pictures for the season.
“It is nice to be back and playing with the lads.
“Austria was a good block of training for me to get up to speed. We had double training over there and it got me back up to the level that’s required.
“The games are now helping me to get used to under-23s football and the older players’ movement is providing me with plenty to learn about my own game.
“It is a great experience because the quality of player is better than at youth team level,” he continued.
“They are that bit more developed, they have a bit more quality and they are physically stronger so it’s a good learning experience.”
