Twelve months of injury hell came to an end for Simon Rodger yesterday.

The Albion midfielder played 45 minutes for Albion Reserves as they lost 3-0 to Orient in a friendly.

It was his first competitive match since he ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee at Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup last September.

The road back to fitness has been long and hard. At one point, Rodger became so disillusioned that he considered quitting the game.

His recovery in pre-season was hampered by blood blisters on the side of the knee and calf trouble.

He said then: "My comeback is a long way off. I'll give it a shot but I'll know if the knee isn't right and if it isn't I'll knock it on the head."

But Rodger, 32, has progressed well since then and retirement plans are on the back-burner as he begins to build up match fitness.

Before yesterday's game, Rodger said: "It's going to be strange because I haven't played for so long. But it'll be a fantastic moment.

"It is great just to be out there training with the lads. I've been so bubbly, like a young kid again. It will enable me to judge for myself where I think I am so I can push on and work even more.

"Hopefully, I will gradually start to get the movement and sharpness back. It'll take a while until I get back to where I want to be.

"With two or three reserve matches I might have half a chance of getting back in the first team squad in about a month."

Rodger said he was not worried about going in for tackles.

He said: "It hasn't played on my mind in training.

"I've just gone out and done my thing.

"The lads have been good and not gone in really hard on me. I need to give myself a test in a tackle to see where my knee is at but I haven't got a psychological thing about it.

"Some players think about it every time they go into a tackle if they've sustained an injury making one. But I didn't pick mine up in a tackle. That's a little blessing.

"Against Middlesbrough, I twisted one way and felt something click and I thought to myself 'this ain't right'. But I think I partially tore it in a previous game, against Colchester, when I went for a shot and a player blocked me."

Rodger believes the last 12 months have been a "test of character".

He said: "Luckily, I am mentally strong and the fact I had a long-term back injury in the past meant I had an idea of how to deal with the situation.

"I had good and bad days. I thought 'is it really worth it?' when I was at a low point a couple of months ago during the setbacks.

"But I then spoke to the surgeon about the blood blisters, which were giving me a lot of stiffness, and he told me it was just the scar tissue I'd built up over three operations and that I could break it down if I kicked on.

"That was the good news I wanted to hear and I've blasted it ever since."