MORTON club captain Lee Kilday was delighted to get his first competitive game under his belt on Saturday after being out for almost a year.

The 26-year-old made his long awaited return playing for Airdrie against Queen’s Park at the weekend, after moving on emergency loan to the League One side last week.

He went straight into the starting line-up, playing the full match and impressing in the defence.

Kilday told the Tele: “I’m a wee bit sore but I trained Monday and Tuesday, and the soreness is starting to go down a bit now.

“I said to the gaffer [Jim Duffy] on Monday I haven’t felt this tired for so long. 

“It’s just great to get that feeling again and play the full 90 minutes.

“I felt fine, my legs tired out towards the end of the match, which is to be expected in my first game back after 11 months out, but I was enjoying it. 

“It was good to be back out there.

“It’s been tough not playing for so long, it’s been hard, but I’ve just had to keep working away and hopefully that’s me now on the road to recovery.”

The defender was forced to undergo surgery twice on his ankle, with Kilday expected back six weeks after his first operation.

But he had to have another operation, and since then has been slowly building himself up in the gym and easing himself into training.

After getting back to near his best, the next challenge was to overcome the mental barrier, and to get himself back on the park again.

He added: “It was more mentally tough than physically. You had to keep coming into training and you need to keep your head right.

“Some days you feel like you want to chuck it in, you had good days and bad days, but having the boys around me helped me out when I needed it.

“It’s a massive step for me, as I need to know myself that I’m fit to play again. Physically I needed to get back and get some competitive games under my belt.”

The defender will remain with Airdrie for the rest of the season, hoping to be involved in their final four games, with the League One side unable to make the play-offs, and all but safe from the relegation play-off spot.

The move means Kilday won’t feature in the play-offs for Morton, if they do finish in the top four this season.

But the defender felt it was a decision he had to make when moving out on loan.

He added: “I can’t play in the play-offs. I’d like to have played but it’s in the rules so there’s nothing you can do about it.”