As part of EFL Youth Development Week, we caught up with Finley Welch as he made his long-awaited return from injury on Friday night as Norwich City Under-21s drew with Colchester United.
In October 2024, Welch made the first loan move of his career as he signed for National League side Boston United. He impressed on his debut against Halifax Town, before an injury in his second game against AFC Fylde would sideline him for the next 10-and-a-half months.
The 20-year-old made his first steps back into football with a behind closed doors friendly, before coming off the bench in the Under-21 Premier League Cup against Colchester.
"I'm buzzing to be back," Welch said. "Happy to be back playing with the boys as well. It's obviously not the result we wanted today, but we can learn a lot from that.
"It's been a really tough battle, I can't thank the staff enough and the players around me who have helped me through this tough time. It's been a mental and physical battle, but I'm just grateful to be back around it and hopefully I can make the next step again.
"Happy with some bits I did, unhappy with some. For me, I've been out for so long and all I want to do is enjoy it. There's a lot I can improve on and I know what to do next and that will come eventually.
"We had spells today where we did things well tonight, taking some positive things into our play. There's places where we can obviously take our chances and more desire to get that win."