Chris Hegarty’s focus on Crusaders future after past injury pain

The 28-year-old will face his boyhood favourites Dungannon Swifts today at Seaview bolstered by an encouraging start to the Danske Bank Premiership campaign which has helped the Crues climb into the top three - with Hegarty at the heart of the defence hoping to have recent injury problems relegated to the past.

“Dungannon Swifts is who I supported as a boy and it’s obviously a club close to my heart,” said the former Rangers and Linfield defender who moved to the Crues from Dungannon last May. “From a Crusaders viewpoint, we don’t want to go in and drop our standards as Dungannon play with a lot of energy.

“They face us off the back of a win over Cliftonville and some clean sheets, so we can expect a tough game.

“I’m feeling a lot more settled now at the club in terms of what I can do and getting closer to the consistency and performance levels I want to bring to Crusaders.

“Last season, my first at the Crues, started well but then I picked up some niggly injuries I couldn’t shake.

“Even when coming back I probably was rushing it or not waiting until fully ready.

“That was, in part, due to looking to get back but also as I was new at the club and didn’t want to let anyone down or make it look as if I couldn’t be counted on.

“It becomes a vicious circle, a situation like that you have the frustration of the injury and being out of the side then you come back too soon and either cannot play to the level you want or end up picking up more problems.

“You start to fight against your own body.

“Thankfully, I’ve always felt part of the club from the day I arrived and it really is a brilliant changing room.

“But it is never easy your first season at a new club when so eager to impress.

“Knockbacks hurt you but now I feel great, much more like myself.”

Hegarty’s improved individual circumstances have played a key role in the bright start to the season by Crusaders as a team.

And Hegarty highlights hard work and drawing rewards from routine as the club ethos moving forward.

“We just focus on our own work and will always be happy if flying under the radar getting on with everything,” said Hegarty. “We know the quality at the club and what this squad is capable of achieving so we just approach the games one at a time.

“Every game at this level is tough, it doesn’t matter that much if it’s a club considered top six or bottom six.

“You can never get too caught up in looking beyond the next fixture or ever make the mistake of thinking any match will be handy that day.

“We’ve already seen that with results this season.

“As a centre-back, you enjoy the challenge of going head-to-head with a rival striker and in this league we all pretty much know each other.

“It would be disrespectful to look past any team and our only approach is to prepare and work towards each fixture on the schedule.

“It’s far too early to make a call on anything anyway and I still think, even with the disruptions this year, it’s going to be about knowing more after the Christmas period.

“Everyone has been thrown around so much and we all are glad of getting into any routine.

“We all missed training and playing together, that group dynamic.

“I think, to be honest, we are all just grateful to be back involved in football and to have the game to focus on given everything else this year.”