AN EXCRUCIATING 'pop' a day before the first pre-season friendly brought back grim memories for Tom Beadling.

All the pain and anguish from a thigh tear sustained in April came racing to the surface once again as history repeated itself.

Having trained for two weeks and worked on his fitness during the summer months, the 22-year-old knew instantly that as he pulled up during a sprint, he was hurt.

“You just hear that pop and it’s one of the worst feelings ever,” he told Press Sport this week.

He had missed the final five games of the last campaign due to the previous tear, and while games of FIFA and Fortnite provided distractions, the virtual world could not help him escape the realisation that he was facing time on the sidelines once again.

He said: “I had experienced that feeling before and for that to happen again was very frustrating.

“I don’t want to say it’s like you’ve been shot but it’s just a loud pop. I pulled up straightaway and I knew I was hurt.

“When something like that happens, you need to have good people around you.

“I had my friends and family keeping my spirits up.

“They were great with me.

“You need to have a good mental state and keep the long-term vision in your head. Mentally is the hardest part as the lads are going to train every day and you really miss that buzz.”

Light gym work and episodes of Suits on Netflix proved no substitute for lacing up his boots on a Saturday and the versatile summer recruit is eager to now make up for lost time after signing a two-year-deal with the club in July.

He made his first appearance since April 7 on Tuesday night against Inverness in the IRN-BRU Cup, starting at centre back and getting 63 minutes under his belt.

He feels “blessed to be back,” and added: “I’m looking forward to the future and I’m just eager to get back in with the boys and get my fitness back up to where I want it to be.

“That was another frustrating part of this injury again; I was feeling really good after the summer break.

“I’ve been watching a lot of the games from the sidelines and it’s hard to watch.

“You just want to be involved, making a difference on the pitch. I’ve had to be patient but, hopefully, that’s behind me and the best is yet to come.”