Ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, Jacob Hobson was gaining experience with our U21s and making an impression.
However, a Nathaniel MG Cup clash with Cambrian United in August saw a frustrating injury halt his progress.
Recently, the talented midfielder has been making his return for our U18s and has relished his time on the field.
“I was having a really good start to pre-season and training regularly with the U21s over the summer, so the injury was a really tough one to take at the time,” Jake began.
“I had worked so hard in the off-season and that helped me to really enjoy how pre-season was going. I felt like I was making a lot of progress.
"Recovering from the injury wasn't easy, but I had a lot of support from the U21s and U18s staff and players. They definitely helped me get through it.
“It’s the longest injury I’ve had in my career. It was mentally difficult at the start because the experience was a bit of an unknown and I wasn't sure what was going to happen.
"I received a lot of reassurance from the physios and they put together a really detailed plan for me. It took a lot of time to work on that, both physically and mentally, but having that plan in place gave me a lot of belief that I could come back strong."
Prior to the international fixtures, Jacob made his first appearance since his injury for our U18s against Queens Park Rangers, coming in a 2-0 win.
He built on that with another appearance against Swindon Town in the PDL Cup, in which City won 5-1.
Having gained momentum since returning, Jacob has now set his sights on furthering his progress.
He added: “I was really pleased to be back on the pitch. After the successful start the boys have had to this season, both at U21 and U18 level, it gave me a real motivation to be back involved.
“It was important for us to get that win against QPR, and I was really happy to be able to get an assist when I came off the bench as well.
“The aim for me is to definitely get back to where I was in pre-season. I’ve started off strong and I’m really hoping to be able to get back to making progress."