Louis John’s long road to recovery finally ended on Tuesday night when he played the first half of the Surrey Senior Cup tie at Merstham.

Although Sutton United’s night would end on a miserable note on the back of a 2-1 defeat, John was pleased with his own cameo performance.

The defender has been out of action since September after tearing the meniscus in his knee while on loan at Lewes.

He said: “I am easing my way back in, taking it step by step.

“I thought I did OK against Merstham, and although I picked up a knock in the first 10 minutes, I got through.

“My calf tightened up, and so I came off as a precaution.”

He added: “Getting back to where I am now has been a long process. I did not need an operation, which is why the healing process has taken so long.”

He added: “I’m hoping to be back in the squad for Saturday.”

Defeat to 10-man Merstham ended any hope of silverware this season, and instead United, 18th in the Conference South, must concentrate on avoiding relegation.

Baird pulls no punches after United’s season to forget plummets to a new low

It has been a dire season thus far, and it gets no easier this weekend when they host play-off chasing Ebbsfleet.

John said: “Everyone in the dressing room knows we’re massively under-achieving.

“I know there have been a lot of player ins and outs, but at the end of the day, we have a team that can win this league and we just have to stand up and be men, and hopefully turn our season around.

“There are 18 games left, which is more than enough to turn the season around.”