MICHAEL COULSON has admitted the trauma of his trio of cruciate ligament injuries has played on his mind since his return to action – but the York City winger says he is now ready to put the bad days behind him.

The 25-year-old scored the Minstermen’s goal in their 1-1 draw with Blackpool at Bootham Crescent on Saturday, finding the bottom corner with a well-struck shot from 16 yards.

Coulson, who injured his knee last October against Accrington Stanley, had initially targeted a return to action in pre-season after tearing the ligament for the third time.

But, thanks to a synthetic graft, he was able to play an unexpected role off the bench in the final weeks of last term as City avoided relegation from League Two.

Now, having netted his first strike since returning from surgery, he is eager to get among the goals again this season.

“Hopefully there will be a few more goals,” Coulson said. “I am trying to put the injury to the back of my mind.

“I must admit it has been a bit difficult because, obviously, it’s the third time I have had the same injury and it has probably taken a bit more this time to get it out of my head.

“But I am getting there now and I am starting to feel more confident and, hopefully, I’ve put the injuries behind me now.”

He continued: “I am very confident and my knee feels as stable as it ever has – it is just the little aches and pains that come with so many traumas. I’ve had so much going on in there.“The key for me has been to put myself about and get it completely out of my mind.

“I try to do it in training but you are not at match speed and you are not doing things you would in a game.

“When I did the injury in October, I sat in physio Jeff Miller’s room and my aim was to get back for pre-season.

“We both said if we were ready for that we would be happy. Getting the few weeks at the end of last season has definitely helped to push me forward a little bit.

“I have had a good pre-season and I am ready to kick on.”

Coulson, pictured, has set himself a target of ten goals this season and, having netted five before his injury last year, is confident he would have achieved that had he not been struck down.

He has also been heartened by the good team spirit which is building in manager Nigel Worthington’s new squad ahead of their latest pre-season test against Championship play-off semi-finalists Leicester City at Bootham Crescent tomorrow night.

“We have all gelled well,” Coulson explained. “It’s a great set of lads and we have all clicked straight away.

“There’s a good atmosphere around the place, which is important. We all need to get on well. We don’t want any bad eggs around the place.

“Leicester is probably another step up from Blackpool so let’s keep the unbeaten run going into the season.

“It will be a big positive for us.”

• Former City loan star Jack O’Connell has joined Rochdale in a six-month loan switch from Blackburn Rovers.

• Whitby Town boss Darren Williams gave fellow former City player Lee Bullock his debut in a 0-0 friendly draw with Bishop Auckland.