Ryan O'Dwyer was delighted to make his competitive return to Dublin colours on Saturday night.

The Tipperary native suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain when he was subjected to a vicious assault outside a Birmingham nightclub in October and seven months of toil and anguish paid off when he came on for the last 15 minutes of Dublin's Leinster SHC quarter-final victory over Wexford at Croke Park last weekend.

"Doing the running was very hard because I could see the lads training and I was just getting p*ssed off," he told The Irish Independent. "I went through every emotion there was to go through because at times you'd be like 'yeah don't worry I'll be back' and then other times it was like 'f*ck it, I'm not going to get back'.

"At times I was ready to throw in the towel but the support I had from my team-mates, like they'd be coming over for a water break and they'd be going 'that's it Ryan, well done'.

"The support I've got off the management has just been phenomenal and I'm just happy to be involved with such a group of players.

"Since I have come back training I've just been trying my best to contribute and to build the confidence of the lads around me. Just trying my best and if lads see you coming back from what I came back from and trying your best, hopefully they'll feed off it.

"It was great to get back on the pitch, it was like going out making my debut again. It felt special. . . pity the weather wasn't a bit better.

"Ken Robinson was there and anyone in the injured group would've been there doing a bit of running with me. The doctors set targets for me, and me being stubborn I set my own targets and I even exceeded them, you know.

"I don't think there's any words to describe how I feel just to get back on the pitch, that was a goal for me and now just to go on from that. I just need to get sharp now - apart from the two club games that's the first bit of hurling I've had this year, so yeah it's great to get back."

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