THIS time last year Joe Shaw was attempting to recover from an injury he had been warned was serious enough to prevent him playing again.

At the start of 2015, the midfielder is back at Witton Albion for a second spell and starting to feel close to full fitness.

His determination to defy those long odds persuaded manager Tony Sullivan to sign him from Trafford.

“You take for granted you’ll always play before having a setback like that,” said Shaw of the knee surgery that stopped him making a contribution to the Shawe View club’s debut campaign in the Northern Premier League’s top flight.

“Now I appreciate being out on the field more than before.

“It’s been a long way back, but I’ve had the right people around me for support and encouragement.

“I’ve set short-term goals to make it happen, and now I’m probably 85, maybe 90 per cent, of the way there.

“I feel stronger all the time, but felt I was being held back a bit at Trafford.

“That convinced me it was time for a change.”

The 28-year-old is no stranger to Witton supporters after making more than 20 league appearances the season before last, when Albion reached the play-offs.

Back then he was forced to miss the start of the campaign after having an ankle operation, spending the season’s remainder playing catch-up with his condition.

“The situation now is kind of similar,” said Shaw.

“I’m my own biggest critic, and feel I have something to prove at Witton.

“I’m capable of more than what the fans saw last time, and I want to show them that.

“The gaffer made me feel wanted from the moment I found out he was interested in bringing me on board.

“I’ve a good feeling for the club anyway, and know some of the lads from before, so it’s been a smooth transition.

“From the first day I arrived, the dressing room felt tight-knit.

“The gaffer has tried to bring us together.

“It’s a fine line between being one of the lads and being in charge, but a lot of the time he’s at the centre of making people laugh.”

A 1-1 draw with Buxton last Saturday extended to seven points the distance between Albion and the Premier Division drop zone.

They visit Matlock, the side below them in the table, this weekend.

Shaw told the Guardian there is no secret formula for why Witton have picked up 17 points from the 30 on offer in the past 10 league games.

“A lot of our improvement is down to work-rate,” he said.

“We’ve put the work in, and had a reward for that.

“Of course a bit of quality needs to come through to win matches, but there’s no shortage of that here.

“As long as we keep repeating those things, we’ll continue to improve.

“There is competition for places, and the number of players at every training session is higher than it was earlier in the season.

“That makes a big difference as well.”