It was a special moment for Chris Cadden at the weekend who made his competitive return to First Team action following eight months out due to injury.
Cadds came on for the final 10 minutes of our Scottish Cup Fifth Round victory over Inverness, marking a hugely significant milestone on his road to recovery.
Elie Youan, Martin Boyle and Myziane Maolida got the goals to book our place in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, but arguably Chris Cadden’s return after an eight month absence got the loudest cheer of the day from the 1,500 travelling Hibees.
Speaking to hibernianfc.co.uk after the match, Cadds explained how special a moment it was for him.
“It felt as good as I thought it was going to be, to be honest. It felt great – it was good to get the win, but for me personally to get some minutes felt really good.
“It was eight-months in the making, so I felt a bit emotional when I was coming on. But I got a brilliant reception from the fans and from the lads was special – I couldn’t have asked for much more.
“All the coaches and the boys made a point at the end of the game in the changing room to stop and give me a round of applause.
“It is like a family in there, all the boys are really close so it means a lot to me. After the game, my phone blew up with messages, so it is a nice feeling to be appreciated by everyone.”
Cadds ruptured his Achilles tendon during the final game of the 2022/23 campaign – beginning an arduous recovery process, which included learning to walk again and countless hours of rehab and recovery.
“It has been a rollercoaster”, Cadden continued.
“There has been ups and down and everything you expect. The physio Gav Dempsey (pictured below) has been unbelievable with me, Kieran Duffie has been in the gym with me every single day.
“Everyone from top to bottom has been brilliant with me, they are all buzzing to have me back as well, so that means a lot to me.
“I didn’t know I was going to come on at the weekend, but when the second goal went in – the Gaffer looked at me and I was buzzing.
“It was a great feeling to be back on the pitch, hopefully I can kick-on from here, get more minutes and help the boys for the rest of the season."
