LEE Hughes' quicker-than-expected recovery has left everyone shocked, even Notts County.
The Magpies thought the 36-year-old striker was going to be out until the new year with a virus – but he called boss Keith Curle on Christmas Eve to say he was well enough to train.
Curle then asked him on the morning of their Boxing Day clash away to Shrewsbury Town if he could start – and he did, scoring his sixth goal of the season in a 2-2 draw.
Hughes has revealed he was struck down with the norovirus winter bug – and that he is still not 100 per cent right, but was glad to be back sooner than expected.
"I've had that norovirus and I've still got a throat virus and a cold so I'm not 100 per cent, but I do feel a lot better than I have done in the last few weeks," he said.
"I've had some personal issues as well that I don't really want to talk about, so my head wasn't right. But I spoke to a few people, got my head right and phoned the gaffer. I asked if it was OK to come in training on Christmas Eve.
"It was the first time I'd trained in a month so I didn't expect to start, let alone score!
"But he asked me if I would be OK to start and I was never going to say no because I want to play every game. It was nice to be back out there and score."
Curle added: "I spoke to him yesterday morning and told him I wanted him to start and be a spark for us and he was – there aren't many other players that would have scored the goal he did."
Shrewsbury v Notts County report – Page 43
