Monday 16 July 2012 12:32, UK
Upbeat Gillingham striker Adam Birchall is delighted to be back in training and is making solid pre-season progress.
Birchall joined the Gills this time last year amid high hopes following a successful season with Dover, but his impact was dramatically cut short after sustaining a serious cruciate ligament injury during a summer friendly, ruling him out for the entire campaign. But, 12 months on, the 27-year-old is now back in training and happy to be involved as he looks to prove his worth to the Kent outfit. "I'm very optimistic, I'm back with the boys and it feels like I am really part of it," Birchall told the club's official website. "In regards to general fitness, I'm where I usually am in pre-season. Out on long runs I'm in the middle of the pack, you won't see me out front but you won't see me at the back either. I'm still pretty sharp despite being out for a year, so I feel fine. "I'm joining in with the boys, I'm not getting tackled that much - to Frammo's (Andy Frampton) disappointment because I know he really wants to tackle me. So that's the next stage, building up to nitty gritty tackles and coming out okay."
