John Houston admits he was relieved to have put his injury troubles behind him to score his first try in the Black and Red for 16 months against Leinster on Friday night.
The versatile back, wearing the number 14 jersey, swept through to score a stunning try on the 20-minute mark; the first time he had crossed the whitewash, coincidentally, at Leinster in December 2007.
Now the 26-year-old – last season’s Newcomer of the Year – says he is aiming to finish the season with a flourish after undergoing groin surgery and recovering from a fractured hand.
Houston said: “I wasn’t as consistent as I would have liked to have been, but I was pleased to have scored a try.
“It is great to be back scoring. I could sum up this season as being very frustrating. Looking back, perhaps it was lucky I broke my hand because it meant I could get my groin fixed.
“Now I can run around pain-free and those injuries are forgotten about now. I can only play to the best of my ability for the rest of the season and remember it as a season where Edinburgh finished as high as possible.”
Originally recognised as a combative centre, Houston has slipped into a variety roles in the back division with equal effectiveness and he says he is just pleased to be on the pitch.
He added: “I feel like I’m coming into the game a bit more. I like to get as involved as I can. I enjoy playing on the wing and being in the starting line-up; I’m just delighted to be back playing.”
After morale-sapping losses at Munster and Scarlets, Edinburgh are now firmly on course to eclipse last season’s milestone achievement of finishing in fourth by ending up even higher up the standings.
He said: “The 6 Nations was a tough time for everybody; including the players not involved. We had the two games to aim for and we didn’t perform.
“So we had a block of three games at home which we needed to win and now we have delivered that. It was a pity that we didn’t get the bonus tonight, but overall we are pleased we’ve won.”
