One of the key positives of 2023 thus far has been the return to action of Lauren Briggs.
The long-serving midfielder suffered an injury in the latter stages of pre-season that curtailed her involvement in the first half of the season, but she is now looking to push on having returned to action in January.
“It’s been fantastic to be out on the pitch with the girls again,” she said.
“You’re in a difficult situation when you’re out injured for a long period of time, but I think you get that fire in your belly to get back again.
“It’s amazing to be back now and I’m really pushing to be in the squad and hopefully the starting eleven.
“It’s great to be out in front of the fans as well.”
Briggs’ summer injury came just weeks after she signed her first full-time contract at the club – which was far from ideal timing.
But having adopted a positive attitude to what could have been viewed as a setback, the 26-year-old was able to respond well.
“The timing was difficult,” she admitted.
“As an athlete you’ve got to be almost anticipating those situations and dealing with those situations.
“They are difficult – the lows are very low but the highs, on the other hand, can be extremely high.
“Injuries do happen and it’s about how you deal with them and make sure you’re mentally stronger from them as well.”
“It’s so important to try and find some sort of positive in it,” she continued.
“Obviously it’s psychologically really difficult, but you use the resources from the club and it helps you – it puts you in the best possible position to return.
“You can have a few days feeling sorry for yourself but then you have to flip it around and try and use it as a positive.”
One of the key motivators for Briggs in her return was the prospect of playing in front of Durham’s vocal fans once again.
And those fans have already delivered the midfielder some memorable moments in her games since returning from injury.
“Manchester United was a highlight of that support,” she explained.
“They were exceptional from the second we stepped off the bus until the final whistle – we heard them all.
“It’s not just those who went to that game either, everyone who has come to a home game has really, really helped us.
“We couldn’t have got through without them.”
