This article originally appeared in the Royals matchday programme on 5th May 2007.

This season has been the busiest in the medical department during my six-year tenure at the Club. On the field, we have exceeded all expectations and it should be noted that we have achieved all this despite having suffered approximately 25% more injuries this season than we did in our title-winning campaign last year.

Not only has the number of injuries increased, but the severity of the problems and the length of the lay-offs for some of our key first team players would have hindered the progress of many sides in the Premier League…but not ours!

The likes of Ibrahima Sonko, Dave Kitson, Kevin Doyle, Bobby Convey and Glen Little have all been out for months rather than weeks with serious injuries, and although it didn't come as too much of a surprise to our medical team after we had fully prepared ourselves for a much tougher season in the Premiership, we soon realised that the physical step up to top flight football was not to be underestimated.

Ever since game one, when Kits suffered a torn medial ligament just before half time against Middlesbrough, we have had a busy physio room that hasn't really emptied at any point throughout the season.

Unfortunately for the players - both fit and injured - and for the medical team, the hard work will continue over the summer months. Every member of the squad will be given an individually tailored off-season training programme to both enhance their recovery from an arduous season and to prepare them for the upcoming preseason period. And of course any specific existing injuries will need constant treatment and monitoring.

Sonko is now working on the strength of his right knee following his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction in preparation to start running June. Bobby is back with us now after his knee surgery in the United States, which repaired a cartilage defect. He is also in a preparatory phase of his rehabilitation, aiming to strengthen the muscles around his knee after six weeks on crutches. In June, we will commence light running drills with him, with a view to Bobby joining up with the rest of the team for pre-season training.

Glen Little has been carrying an Achilles problem since January, and a few weeks ago it got to a stage where the pain he was feeling was impeding his performance on the field, so we decided to completely rest him from first team action and resolve the problem fully. He is currently undergoing an intensive exercise and injection therapy programme in an attempt to get rid of the pain without the need for surgery.

Graeme Murty suffered a calf injury whilst on international duty with Scotland about five weeks ago. His progress has been slow but sure and he has now started light running. He is unlikely to play again this season, so now we are preparing him for next year.

Aaron Brown has had a horrendous year, which started with a fractured and dislocated ankle picked up at Bromley in a pre-season friendly fixture. In the last few months he has suffered a few setbacks with thigh problems associated with that ankle injury, and we are looking at every option including potential surgery in order to ensure as speedy a return as possible. We also cannot underestimate how serious his ankle injury was - it has left him with some long term stiffness that we are still trying to rectify.

Last, but not least, our loan signing from Hungary Peter Mate, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture whilst playing against Chelsea's reserves in September. He has coped incredibly well for such a young footballer with such a severe injury, and I must also take this opportunity to commend Becky Brown on her hard work with Peter's rehabilitation. Besides helping me with the first team squad, Becky has also been looking after the reserve team during the latter half of the season and deserves a lot of credit for their success this season.

A big pat on the back must also go to Matt Hirons, who has primarily been in charge of the medical care of our Academy scholars alongside the Academy Sports Scientist Ed Franklin. Masseur Andy Stanbury has travelled the length and breadth of the country with the first team looking after their every need, and mention should also go to Alan Hughes, who has helped with the conditioning of the players and aided me with injuries to first team players on a part-time basis.

Finally, a massive thank you to our Sports Scientist Jon Goodman for his support and hard work with our professionals, which has helped us remain one of the fittest teams in the division.