For Joe Rothwell, a total of 118 days had passed since signing for Cherries and making his competitive debut for the club. Having featured in pre-season with the Dorset outfit, a quad injury rocked his start to life on the south coast. He had joined on a free transfer in the summer, following the expiration of his contract at Blackburn Rovers. But after being named on the bench for last weekend’s trip to Fulham, the 27-year-old finally earned his first minutes in the Premier League, coming on in Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat against Southampton. Describing his wait for match action at Cherries,
Joe Rothwell said: “I came in, felt good in pre-season and picked up that injury which set me back three months. It’s been long, hard graft and thanks to the staff and the players. They have really helped me through it and finally I have reaped the rewards of it and made that Premier League debut. It’s part and parcel of the game. Most lads in there have had injuries of some sort, some long-term, some not so long. But every day they have tried to keep me included. I have felt like that, I’ve finally come out the other end of it and it’s just a dream come true for me. You are in earlier, leave later but when you are injured there is only one thought and that is to get back and get back on the pitch. Especially with how the lads have been doing and the run we have been on. I wanted to get back and try to be part of that.”
Having signed for the club in June, Rothwell previously admitted the “pull” of Scott Parker played a big part in his decision to arrive at Vitality Stadium. But having been working through his injury, he never played competitively under the former England midfielder before Parker was sacked in August. Despite that, the Manchester-born midfielder is now looking to “catch the eye” of interim head coach Gary O’Neil, while building his match sharpness.
Joe Rothwell said: “Personally, it was a blow when the old manager left because he was the one that brought me in. A big part of me coming here was down to him. But these things happen in football. Gaz was here and I’ve worked under Gaz when Scott was here as well. I spoke with Gaz. He knows exactly what I can do and he just wants me to come here, express myself and do what I was brought in to do. I think that’s all you can ever ask from a manager. He will tell you how he sees it and tell you what he wants to do. He knows the qualities that I can bring and hopefully now with these minutes, I can keep adding to them and produce on the pitch. That’s the next step now. The lads have been doing brilliantly, so the next step is to try to break into the team from the start. The lads have been doing magnificent. If I can get on, keep picking up some minutes, then just go from there, hopefully catch the manager’s eye and crack on.”
As well as having to deal with his injury issue, Rothwell revealed it had been a waiting game with regards to setting up a permanent base in the south.
Joe Rothwell added: “I have still not moved into my house yet – so it’s been a bit stop-start in terms of off the pitch. But hopefully now that will get sorted in the next few weeks and can finally crack on with the football. My missus plays a huge role in what I do, with the kids as well. This is what I do it for. I do it for them and I hope there are many more games and I can keep making them proud.”
