Richard Lee paid tribute to the Brentford medical staff after making his comeback from shoulder surgery against Tranmere Rovers.
Richard had not played a game of any description since The Bees played Shrewsbury Town last December.
He had a shoulder operation towards the end of last season and had only recently resumed full training.
But with David Button unavailable after being sent off against Bradford City last week Richard said he was keen to play against Tranmere.
He played a key role with some vital saves as The Bees won away from home for the first time in the 2013/14 Sky Bet League One season, beating Tranmere 4-3.
He said Head of Medical Neil Greig and his staff had helped him recover full fitness and that enabled him to step in despite a lack of match practice.
“When I saw what happened last weekend I was keen to play today,” said Richard, speaking to Bees Player after the match.
“I haven’t played a game of any note since December.
“The plan was to play a couple of Development games in the next couple of week and then challenge for a First Team place.
“When I saw what happened I was keen to play, I have trained so hard.
“I need to give real credit to Neil Greig and the fitness coaches.
“They have helped me get as fit as I have been for a few years.
“I have been playing for 15 to 20 years and I know I have the experience to step in and put in a decent display.
“I think I did that.”
Richard said the game was a good test of his shoulder and he felt fine after the 90 minutes.
He said the work he had done during his recovery period had come in use at Prenton Park.
The goalkeeper said the injury was the worst he had suffered and that made the comeback a little more special.
“I feel alright now,” he said.
“My shoulder is still not quite there if I am honest.
“But it is not far away.
“It was a good test today.
“I had to deal with a lot of crosses and made a few saves.
“I enjoyed it.
“A lot of the work I have done over the past few months came out today.
“I was able to use my experience to deal with what they threw at me.
“I wanted to keep it safe, come for crosses I could, hit areas with my kicks and I believe in my ability to make saves.
“There were things I may have done differently if I had played 15 to 20 games.
“It was a shame to concede three goals but I don’t think there is a lot I could have done.
“This has been my hardest injury to get back from.
“It has been a really tough one.
“I think that makes today a little more special.
“The medical guys have been unbelievable.
“I feel in really good shape and I think that has allowed me to come in and put in a good display.”
Brentford picked up three points on a crazy afternoon on Merseyside.
They started well and went 2-0 up early on but Tranmere came back in to it to level at 2-2 and then at 3-3 in the last minute after Clayton Donaldson had scored his second of the game.
But Brentford were awarded a last minute penalty and Adam Forshaw smashed it home to give The Bees the win.
“It was a great game for the neutral, I’m sure,” said Richard.
“It was eventful.
“From our point of view it was great to get an away win.
“That is important for us in terms of what we want to achieve this season but maybe we don’t want them those circumstances every time.
“A win is a win.”
Richard admitted he was not pleased to concede three times but said he would have taken it before the match if it came with three points.
He said the attacking display was good but there was work to be done defensively.
“I had only conceded four goals in my last 13 games before today so to concede three in one game is not pleasing,” he said.
“But we got a win and if someone had offered me that I would have taken it.
“The win is the most important thing but we won’t rest on our laurels because we have lots to work on.
“Defensively we need to shore things up.
“The attacking display was good.
“It was a rollercoaster of a game.
“Some of the attacking was superb and in the first half hour we could have run away with it.
“We are getting closer to what we want in an attacking sense and if we can get defensive stability, added to what we have going forward, I don’t think many teams will touch us.”
The win came a week after Brentford had been beaten 4-0 at Bradford, a game in which David Button was dismissed.
Richard said The Bees would lose games this season but how they reacted was important.
“It was massively important to bounce back,” he said.
“Last week was disappointing.
“It was important to forget about it and crack on.
“We will lose games this season, that’s the way of the league.
“The team that wins the league will probably lose seven or eight games.
“We have lost one in the first seven; it’s a very good start.
“Last week was a thumping but 12 points from seven is a good return.”
Bees Player subscribers can see a full video interview with Richard Lee here.