Goodison clash targeted for Cahill return (From Leigh Journal)

Goodison clash targeted for Cahill return

6:00am Sunday 14th March 2010 in

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GARY Cahill has his sights fixed on getting his Wanderers career back on track now that he has put his blood clot scare firmly behind him.

The defender will return to training on Monday morning, just 37 days after it seemed his season was over.

Cahill had been admitted to hospital on the afternoon of the Whites’ 0-0 draw with Fulham in early February, and was found to have a clot in his upper arm.

But tests revealed that the normal course of drugs would not be required to solve the problem — saving the 24-year-old six months out of the game — and that he could make a speedy return after simple corrective surgery on his rib cage.

Just two weeks after the minor operation, which should ensure the problem will never happen again, Cahill is ready to launch his comeback, and ease Wanderers’ mounting injury list.

“Ever since I have moved to Bolton my career has progressed, missing just the odd game,” said the centre half, who could now be in contention for next week’s trip to Everton. “And then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I came in for a match against Fulham and later that afternoon I was taken to hospital and told that I had a blood clot.

“It was a shock and hard to take because in football you do get injuries, but this was something completely different.”

Cahill now has eight games to prove his fitness, and perhaps stake a late claim for a place in Fabio Capello’s England squad for this summer’s World Cup finals.

First and foremost, he is keen to get involved in Wanderers’ fight against the drop, which begins in earnest this afternoon against local rivals Wigan.

“It has worked out to be bad timing in the respect that we have had a good run of fixtures which I was looking forward to playing in, but on the flip side I now have a chance to feature in the run-in,” he said.

“To say that I have only missed a month so far and I’m back doing fitness work and on the verge of returning to full training with the rest of the squad, then it is massive turnaround.

“Wanderers’ supporters have been fantastic because I have had countless amounts of well wishes and get-well-soon cards. I really do appreciate all these kind gestures.”