St Johnstone striker Uche Ikpeazu opens up on injury nightmare after FIVE knee operations
Now, following a 15-minute cameo appearance in the Perth club's Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic, the former Hearts man is determined to make up for lost time and help keep Saints in the Premiership.
'That's my first game since April last year,' said the 30-year-old. 'To be back on the pitch after such a horrible time is a blessing.
'It was probably the worst of my career, my life – not knowing when I was going to come back, if I was going to come back.
'My faith kept me going. Mistakes were made, not by myself, and things were out of my hands.
'It was a nightmare.
'I did everything I could, but I couldn't come back.
'If it was properly sorted out I'd have been back four, five months ago.
'I have to thank St Johnstone as a football club – the owners, the manager, my team-mates.
'They have been incredibly supportive.
'Some days you come in and think: 'Where do I go from here?'
'The club sorted me out to see Dr Iain Murray in Edinburgh and he analysed the knee, had another surgery and found what was going on.
'An infection was hiding in there and he sorted it out quite quickly. That's five operations.
'If not for Dr Murray and how meticulous he was, I don't know when I would be back.
'A big thank you to him. He kind of saved me. I didn't think I'd play this season and, to be honest, I didn't know when I'd play.
'And it was great the club brought in Caitlin (physio Caitlin Wright, who moved from Hamilton mid-season).
'She's very thorough and takes her job seriously, which is important for a physio. You can't say that about everyone.
'Early mornings, late afternoons. There have been a lot of hard hours.'
'I've missed so much football but that's made me more determined and hungrier than ever to help this team and get us out of this position. I love football and I've missed it so much. I'm excited.'
Saints were starved of possession at the weekend but Ikpeazu showed enough in his short time on the pitch to suggest he will be able to make an impact off the bench in the post-split run-in.
'I pride myself on being a team player,' he said. 'It's not just about goals. I can bring people into play and assist.
'There are 15 points to play for.
'It's very much possible, especially when we're playing the teams we are fighting against.
'I'm really positive about it and want to show St Johnstone what I can do.
'Coming on gives me the confidence that I'm ready. We lost 5-0 but physically I feel alright.
'I only had about seven or eight days of full training before this. But I was just desperate to get involved.
'I told the gaffer: 'Listen, I want to be involved.'
'We probably accelerated the process a little quicker than I was supposed to.
'The manager has been amazing. It's been a very difficult situation obviously. Football is a business – the club is paying me and I couldn't play.
'I felt horrible about that situation because I'm not just here to pick up a salary.
'They've been supportive even though it's been a difficult situation on and off the pitch.
'From a business perspective and they can't get their number nine playing.
'That's what you need when going through difficult times. You need that support.'
Ikpeazu added: 'I think every team needs a number nine! That's my opinion.
'You need that sort of striker who can bring people into play and get the team up the pitch.
'I just want to repay the faith and patience that has been shown to me. I have no doubt that I will be able to show my quality. You don't lose that overnight.
'Whether I play or not, whether I start or come off the bench. I just want the team to solidify a place in this division.
'I don't want to play in the Championship. I've played at a high level most of my career, so I want to stay up.
'But one step at a time.
'It was really frustrating against Celtic and not good enough from all of us, including myself. But we move on to Motherwell.'
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