IT’S been a year of pain for Matty Nicholson but, finally, the York City Knights prop can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The Huntington Stadium club are optimistic the 21-year-old could return in time for the vital Kingstone Press Championship run-in and no one is more pleased than the former Leeds academy front-rower.

Given that Nicholson had to be practically dragged to the operating table such was his desire to continue filling the Knights’ shirt, news of his sooner than expected return has also delighted head coach Gary Thornton.

Nicholson is targeting the final four games of the Championship season – a timetable that would see him back in action in mid-August – and, given his shoulder has been troubling him for 12 months, he is keen to be able to get through a game without requiring a spell on the physio’s bench afterwards.

“It actually started last season at Dewsbury in a game against Swinton,” he said of the origins of his long-term injury problem.

“I got tackled and dropped on the shoulder. They couldn’t really work out what was going on. I finished the season and thought it was all done and dusted.

“I came to York and, within three training sessions, it had gone again. I started having physio on it but it still wasn’t getting any better so I went for an MRI scan.

“It revealed a torn labrum and it required a big operation. It was what they called a 6-12 rip. It was all down the shoulder and the joint was effectively hanging out of the socket.

“I never expected it was going to be that bad and I decided I was going to carry on playing while I waited for the operation.

“I played six games with it and just got on with it. I was feeling pain during the game but it wasn’t that bad. It was the night after the game. When it finished it was really bad.”

That’s team spirit for you. It’s almost a cliché to say players play through the pain these days, but Nicholson deserves all the plaudits and the respect of the dressing room for gritting his teeth and getting on with it.

“I went to Manchester for the operation, by one of the best shoulder surgeons in Britain, and I knew it was going to be a long lay-off,” he added.

“I carried on playing as much as I could but, in the game against Featherstone, I had to come off and I knew I wouldn’t be able to carry on after that.

“I just wanted to do what I could for the team. There was only three available props for the Featherstone game so I had to put my arm up.

“I am on schedule to return in two months. That will be four months after the surgery so that will be a bonus as originally they thought I would be out for six months.”

In his absence, Nicholson, often heard on radio as a match summariser, has watched York put together an inconsistent run of results in the last few weeks.

But, having attended every training session and having relayed messages from the touchline during the Knights’ 42-10 win over Doncaster last week, he reckons the club should be “looking up”.

“It’s difficult to be injured and not able to play, especially when we have been struggling up until Sunday,” Nicholson explained. “I like being involved with the lads. I go to every training session – going to cheer the lads on.

“I did the messages on Sunday and I just want to be involved.

“You do what you can to help out.

“We are in a good position and in the early games we played against tough opposition. We need to start looking up now. We were in the relegation spots before Sunday’s game and that was really disappointing.

“Now we are in a better position and we need to get back into the play-off places. We have got enough firepower to do that.”

And the prospect of returning as his side hopefully embark on a successful run to the play-offs leaves Nicholson itching to get back into the fray.

He said: “It would be fantastic. I would love to get back this season.

I am targeting mid-August and that would leave four league games left at that point. They would be make or break games as well.

“It’s been very frustrating to miss nearly a full year. This all started in the last week of July last season and I have hardly played in two consecutive weeks – having to have breaks.

“Now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am definitely on the right track. I am getting back to normal movement and look forward to getting ready for the rest of the campaign.”