After suffering an injury last year, Frank Simek is working his way back in the mix with Sheffield Wednesday.  The defender took time to speak with Soccer 365’s Andrew Rogers about the come back trail, the promotion hunt, the U.S. national team and more…

By Andrew Rogers.

How are things going on the come back trail?

My hamstring is a little sore at the moment, everything else is pretty good, I had no reaction other than the minor set back on the hamstring.

What can you tell us about the ailment?

It’s just a tight hamstring, after the weekend when I woke up on the Sunday, the muscle was really tight, we only had four defenders so I had to play. I assumed it would loosen up but as I played on it, it got tighter and tighter. In the end I wasn’t doing anyone any favours in staying on the field, its not a big set back though, the hamstring is just a little tight.

2007 was a golden year for you…

It was, I was playing every week and well, its always nice to be linked with big clubs as I was. But the ankle injury happened and there is nothing you can do about it. I just have to move forward with it and get back to where I was, sooner rather than later.

Tell us about the ankle injury, it was very serious…

It happened nearly a year ago to the day almost, I jumped up for a ball and my studs got caught in the turf- turning my left ankle in a bad way. I thought I would come back pretty soon, I played in two reserve games, but the ankle wasn’t right so I had to have an operation done. Quite a few footballers have had that operation, including one of my team mates so it wasn’t like it was a freak injury no one had ever dealt with.

How did you cope with the lay off?

It was very frustrating, prior to this I had been injury free throughout my career. To be out for such a long time was a bit of a nightmare, to be honest I’ve just tried to forget about the last year, it was difficult being out then not being able to come back, and then have surgery. I was back playing just a couple of days ago, and I was so glad to be back.

So you must have become the X-Box king?

Probably not actually, you end up spending a lot more time at the training ground when you are injured compared to when you are fit. When you’re injured you are expected to be in longer, when I was in a cast I could not do much, and that was particularly frustrating. But once I was out of the cast I pretty much cracked on.

What did it feel like to be stepping back out on the field?

When I came back in the reserves my first game back I was nervous. I played three games, and if I’m honest I needed that to get my confidence back in the ankle, and my fitness, the problem is the reserves is nothing like, Championship football, its night and day, its almost like a different game really in every respect.

I found that at against Southampton, I almost forget how hard the games were physically on my body. The only way I can get back to where I was is playing first team football week in week out, training and the reserves just isn’t the same.

You have a battle on your hands for the right back spot, what are your thoughts?

I think competition is always good for the squad, but we have a small squad and injuries are piling up at the moment. All I’m concentrating on is getting fit and keeping fit, and from there I want to take the chances as and when they arise. I’m hungry and all I need is a fit and healthy body and then I’m on my way.

Can Sheffield Wednesday stay in the play off hunt after a difficult couple of seasons?

It’s a definite possibility. We have a great chance, if we get things right in the Christmas period. It’s a tight league if we have a good run you’re in the mix, but we are just focusing on the next game, but I see no reason why this set of players can’t go all the way.

What are your ambitions internationally there are a lot of games coming up?

It’s something that I really want, but I need to get back to playing well for Sheffield Wednesday week in week out, and that will take time. The national team is one of my main goals, it’s a cliché but it’s the highest honour you can have.

What are your ambitions over the long term?

Once I’m fit I want to get back to where I was before the injury. If you ask any player in this league, they all want to get into the Premiership, I’m no different and I’m confident we can do that with Sheffield Wednesday.

What do you do in your spare time?

I tend to go to the cinema with a few of the guys, I got myself an X-Box, and I don’t mind a good book every now and again. I also watch a lot of the U.S sports on TV especially on baseball. With the NFL all I know is the Rams are terrible. I’m mainly a baseball man.

Andrew Rogers can be reached at andrewrogers@optonline.net