NATHAN Elder says he is determined to prove the doubters wrong by being a success at Hayes and Yeading after his 13-month injury nightmare.

The 26-year-old ex-Brentford and AFC Wimbledon striker admits he faces a battle to get back to something like his best after missing out on so much football due to an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury.

After being released from his contract by League Two Shrewsbury in June, Elder had unsuccessful trials with both Cheltenham Town and Luton Town.

But he said: "People are looking at me to see if I can be the player that I used to be. It is about trying to show those people that I have still got it.

"I do not think people realise how much a serious injury can take away from you and how hard it is to come back. I am playing catch-up, but at the moment I just want to be playing games. It is frustrating as no one likes to be on the bench - I just have to keep fighting to get that place.

"It was a complicated injury that I had as it was another part of my knee as well, not just the cruciate.

"After 13 months out in total I am just glad to be playing football again, but to get back to form I have to be mentally strong. I cannot feel the injury now though, it feels good, and at 26 I still have a lot more football left in me."

Elder aims to reward Hayes and Yeading boss Nas Bashir for taking a chance on him after other clubs had turned him down.

And he believes that Hayes and Yeading can confound the pre-season predictions that they will be relegated from the Blue Square Premier.

"It has been a roller-coaster summer for me getting back into football," Elder added. "The gaffer asked me to come down and show what I can do. It is good that we have a few players down here that have played in the league and they can help the young players to improve.

"I have looked at the odds for us and I think that the bookies are taking the mickey. I do not think Hayes and Yeading get the credit that they should get. They take beating us for granted, but if you look at our performance against one of the promotion favourites Fleetwood, we would have been disappointed with a draw in that match."

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