Pic: Steve Gibbs/Aldershot Town FC
SCOTT RENDELL has told Aldershot supporters they don't need to be concerned about his fitness despite nearly a year out of action.
The striker, 29, caused a stir last when he left bitter rivals Woking for the Shots to work under Gary Waddock again.
Cards fans are fuming – they clubbed together to raise over £10,000 for his rehabilitation after a season-ending injury was sustained just minutes into Woking's curtain-raiser at Tranmere Rovers last term.
They say Rendell has shown a lack of loyalty after quitting for their old foes but the ex-Cambridge United man wants to focus on his football.
Waddock told The NLP last week that his new striker can cope with the ill-feeling a switch across the border brings and Rendell says he is fully recovered from the anterior cruciate ligament rupture which has kept him out since early August.
The manager may have signed his strike partner, adding Crawley's Shamir Fenelon, 21. Rendell, who modelled the club's new strip last week, said: “Just to put a football kit on again feels really special – I've not done it for a long time.
“I don't want to tempt fate but I've had no problems. I'm back to normal, I'm fit and I can't wait to get going.
“Every game now is a bonus for me after last year. There were times when I wondered if it was worth it but I had to get through the bad days.
“It's all about working hard now and knuckling down. I'm just thankful that I'm able to play again now after such a bad injury.”
Benefit
The Shots returned to pre-season action early – taking the opportunity to welcome Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's QPR last Friday.
Waddock feels the early start could be of benefit and said: “It's good to be playing football again. In the match situation you learn more than you do in training and seeing some of our trialists in that environment will give us a bit of a head-start.”
New man Fenelon, who has had loan spells with Tranmere and Dagenham, said: “Gary told me he wanted to work with me as a player and he's the first manager who has said something like that. It appealed to me and I was interested straight away.”
