Ritchie hails the return of Worthington

Dec 17 2007 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Ritchie hails the return of Worthington

MANAGER Any Ritchie hailed the surgical skills of Dr Ulrike Muschaweck as captain Jon Worthington figured at first-team level for the first time since August.

The 24-year-old midfielder was a 78th-minute replacement for goalscorer Ronnie Wallwork, and marked his return with a couple of trademark crunching tackles.

It was a fifth appearance of the season for Worthington, who went under the knife of the renowned German hernia specialist early last month.

Ritchie said: “Worthy has had a tough time of it and has had to be patient, and it was good to get him back out there.

“He hadn’t been right in all my time at the club, but the corrective surgery has done the trick, and with all the games we’ve got coming up, it’s nice to have him available.

“You look at the tackles he made in this game and in recent reserve matches, and remember that when he wasn’t fully fit, he just couldn’t have got there.

“I think that was a big factor in him getting a lot of bookings last season.

“He was trying to make the tackles but his lack of full mobility as a result of his sore groins meant his timing was off.

“He definitely seems to be getting about the pitch a lot better now.”