Aljofree is raring to go

HASNEY ALJOFREE is a relieved man. Athletic’s newest acquisition, the 31-year-old defender has returned to his native north-west after a long career which has taken him as far north as Dundee United and directly back in the opposite direction to Plymouth Argyle.

On the bench for the first time under new boss Dave Penney at Tranmere at the weekend, Aljofree tonight gets the chance to make a quick return to Swindon (7.45pm kick-off) — the club which released him prior to his being snapped up by Athletic.

“I saw it on the fixture list and sometimes football brings these sorts of things around,” said the centre-back, who began his career at Manchester United. “But I am not concerned about Swindon now and my focus is on Athletic.”

Aljofree has been brought to the club to provide defensive cover for centre-backs Reuben Hazell and Sean Gregan after experiencing a long and frustrating period suffering from a knee cartilage problem.

Now fully recovered, Aljofree couldn’t force his way into Swindon manager Danny Wilson’s thinking and has not made a first-team appearance since injury struck in December of 2008 — something he hopes to remedy soon.

“I have never been injured before and having a year out of the game is mental torture,” Aljofree added. “The rehab process was a very slow one and a lot goes through your mind. I am just glad I am out of the woods now.

“ I just can’t wait to get back to playing football again. I had been looking for a move for a couple of months and had a few offers here and there. But I wanted to make sure the deal was right and this one was.”

Aljofree’s former club have enjoyed a terrific season in Coca-Cola League One so far.

Prior to consecutive draws away at Southend and then at home to Charlton — both sides scoring last-gasp goals to deny the Robins victories — Swindon had won five out of their last six, including a thumping 3-0 home win over Leeds United.

Few would have expected Town to be sixth in League One at this stage, particularly after the loss of the Football League’s top scorer Simon Cox and an opening-day 5-0 defeat at Gillingham.

But manager Wilson has brought together an effective side, with a regular stream of goals arriving through Billy Paynter. The striker has found the net 17 times already this season, including eight in his last nine appearances.

Front partner Charlie Austin has also made headlines after arriving from non-league Poole Town in October. Having scored an amazing 46 goals in as many games for Poole last term, the 20-year-old has netted 10 in 16 games in League One so far.