Newcastle midfielder Ben Kantarovski hopes a full pre-season will help him return to his best for the Jets this season.
Newcastle midfielder Ben Kantarovski hopes a full pre-season will help him return to his best for the Jets this season.
The talented 20-year-old required a full knee reconstruction in December 2010 and came into last season straight after rehabilitation.
Kantarovski, who has been with the Jets since 2008, said he was hopeful of putting the frustrating period behind him.
“Coming back from my knee injury and just trying to play some games I guess was really frustrating,” he said.
“Just getting that touch and everything back, coming back from such a long off-season – the time out of the game with my rehab – it was frustrating.
“It’s good now to have a good, solid pre-season under my belt and hopefully we can improve this season.”
The signing of former England international Emile Heskey is sure to provide the Jets with a boost ahead of their season opener against Adelaide United on Sunday.
Gary van Egmond’s side could also be one of the league’s most exciting after signing several youngsters, including the likes of James Brown, Craig Goodwin and Adam Taggart.
“It’s been quite an exciting pre-season,” Kantarovski said.
“(We) signed quite a young team, with a lot of young players that have come in from all over the place.
“It’s good to get them together, and we’ve been working well, playing some regular games leading up to the start of the season.”
While he prefers to be deployed as a number six, Kantarovski said he was unsure where in midfield he would play this campaign.
“With the pre-season we’ve tried a few different things out,” he said.
“I’d say more than likely it’ll be somewhere in the midfield – I wouldn’t be venturing out of there any time soon.”
As for his goals for the season, he said: “Just to play a top quality game, put in a solid performance every week and hopefully I can try and get on the scoresheet as well.”
