FC Halifax Town: "Hopefully some minutes will be round the corner," says Summerfield as he nears comeback from injury

Summerfield hasn't played for Halifax since being taken off during the 1-0 defeat at Yeovil on September 4.

He had started the first four games of the season, but during the Yeovil match, was a shadow of his usual composed, authoritative self, with the fact he was substituted - an extremely rare occurrence - a sign that something wasn't right.

"I cracked my cartilage, we think it was in the first game of the season," said Summerfield.

"Then I had an injury the week after it as well in my knee.

"I played with it for a while but it was just getting too painful, too sore, impacting my game, so I had to arrest it.

"I've seen specialists, had injections and things, and now it's a waiting game to see how I feel.

"I've trained the last two weeks and I'm feeling better and better, sharper each day, so we'll see how it feels leading up to a game."

Summerfield could return to the bench for this Saturday's FA Cup clash with Maidenhead at The Shay, but isn't putting any specific match up as a possible comeback game.

"I've trained the last two weeks and I feel good each day, so it just depends on the game-time and when I can get some, but I'm just concentrating on feeling right in training and getting back to where I was before, and hopefully some minutes will be round the corner," he said.

The Shaymen have done well in Summerfield's absence, starting the season strongly and sitting just three points off top spot in the National League.

"In a weird way it's been hard to watch. It's never nice to watch when you're not playing, and you're injured, but it's made it bittersweet in how the lads have been doing," Summerfield said.

"Whenever I've been able to get to the games it's been a joy to watch, the lads have been doing unbelievably well.

"As long as they carry on winning, at the end of the day that's the most important thing because we're all here to get this club promoted, whatever way we do it.

"Football is all about wanting to play but it's a team game at the end of the day, and if the team is winning, that's the main thing."

And in Summerfield's absence, midfielder Kian Spence has excelled for The Shaymen.

"He's been excellent since he came in, even last year he trained really well and the chances he got last year he did really well," Summerfield said.

"It's no different this year, he's taken his chance really well.

"I don't think the boys can ask any more of him, I think he's performed excellently well and hopefully that can carry on.

"He's got a lot of qualities, he's an excellent footballer, he's got a great mentality, very good on the ball, and he's got a great footballing brain about him to know when to pass and things, and he's showing his ability on the pitch, which is great to see."

But the fact that Town have been doing so well only goes some of the way to easing Summerfield's frustration over his spell on the sidelines.

"Last year was an injury where we knew the time-frame, knew the injury, knew the rehab process," he said.

"But this one's been really, really frustrating, I think it's been one of those injuries where I've tried my best to carry on and realised it's nowhere near where I want it to be.

"Not knowing the time-span of it, not knowing where to go from it, with rest, injections, talk of an operation, it's been a frustrating one not knowing the time-frame for it and going from there.

"It's been probably the one injury in my career that's frustrated me more than any other, not being out there but also not knowing the type of injury and the type of rehab, it's been a tough one.

"It's been bittersweet watching them, and how good the boys have been doing.

"That's been making my weekends even better, knowing the boys are doing excellently well, getting three points most weekends, it's made my weekends a lot better.

"So it's bittersweet in that way but frustrating not knowing what the injury is and where to go from it.

"But the results are making it bittersweet, so that's been nice."