Dolphins’ Festus Austin returns to training

DOLPHINS’ hard tackling central defender, Festus Austin, says he is back training and is ready to get back on the pitch with the club once again.

  Austin cracked his shin during a league game against Warri Wolves last year, two games after he returned from a year-long injury.

  He had cracked the same shin two years ago in a league game and was out of action for one year; then he returned for a league game in Enugu against Rangers International before cracking the shin one game later in Warri against Warri Wolves

   “I have started training on my own and I am right now waiting for the team doctor to give me the go ahead to join the players on the pitch.

   “I will meet with him soon. I have just started gym work because I need to gain some strength pending when the doctor confirms I can go into full training,” Festus said.

 The former Bendel Insurance defender said he first feared for his career when he was being taken off the pitch last year on a stretcher.

   “I was not happy when I first got injured and when I was taken off again, I thought it was the same fracture that reoccurred

   “I later found out it was the same leg but not on the same place so I relaxed a bit because I knew what I went through with the first one,” Austin said

   Festus Austin joined Dolphins from Bendel Insurance in 2008 as fourth in the center back order behind Tochukwu Okolie, Chimezie Nzewi and Emah Godwin, but he soon started playing regularly, took a first team shirt and became a main stay in the Dolphins’ defence.