GEORGE McCARTNEY would have loved the chance from day one of the 2005/6 campaign to prove his worth with Sunderland in the Premiership.

Instead, after months of injury heartbreak, McCartney spent most of the campaign on the treatment table while the club's summer signings enjoyed the chance to shine in the top-flight.

It was only on February 4 that the Northern Irishman made his first appearance of the season, as he paid the price for playing through the pain barrier during Sunderland's promotion year.

He made 38 appearances last season but only in recent weeks has he managed to play regularly in the Premiership after finally erasing the pain he was feeling in the back of his leg.

A hamstring problem was initially diagnosed, but exploratory surgery showed his tendon had become detached from one of the lower leg bones at the back of his knee.

Having now played ten games without any serious repercussion, McCartney is confident the problem has been eradicated. He is just disappointed it couldn't have been sooner.

"When I came back against West Ham in February after being out for so long it was more the adrenaline that got me through the game.

"Maybe a few games after that I found it a bit tougher," said the 24-year-old, who was powerless to prevent Portsmouth from inflicting the Black Cats' 27th league defeat on Saturday.

"Over the last few weeks I've been getting to where I should be. Seven months is a long time to be out.

"Now the hamstring is completely out of my mind. It's been fixed. In the first few games and the first few training sessions I felt a bit of pain from it but thankfully that's gone now."

Mick McCarthy signed 12 new players last summer in preparation for life in the Premiership.

But the established McCartney - along with the likes of Stephen Elliott and Kevin Kyle - was missing for long spells.

The left-back, who has looked sharp down the flank alongside team-mate Julio Arca in recent weeks, can't help but wonder how things might have turned out had everyone been fit from the start.

"The manager strengthened the team and it was unfortunate for me that I didn't get chance to play with any of them until February," he said.

"The big thing that helped me to get back was Julio Arca and I had already got a good understanding with him down the left.

"We haven't really played that many games this season, though, because either he's been injured or I have and it hasn't really been a settled team.

"We know if we can keep most of this squad together, we will be well positioned to do well in the Championship next season."

Talk of Niall Quinn manufacturing a consortium to challenge the Bob Murray regime refuses to disappear and the hope from the Irishman is that an initial bid may be launched by as early as this weekend.

If something can be agreed between the two parties then the belief is that Quinn will be installed as McCarthy's successor, despite recent calls from the players to appoint Kevin Ball on a full-time basis.

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