AUSTRALIAN Marc Koteczky was happy to be back in a Plymouth Albion shirt on Saturday.
The 25-year-old had not played since last season, having missed Albion’s trip to Jersey with a heel injury.
But the utility back successfully came through nearly 60 minutes of Albion’s 45-18 defeat to Championship side Bedford Blues at the weekend.
“It was good to get out there among the boys again,” said Koteczky, who came on as a replacement midway through the first half.
“I definitely got more minutes than expected. I went on quite early due to the injury to Ethan Ford, but I was happy I got through it.”
Bedford out-scored Albion seven tries to two at Brickfields, but Koteczky felt it was a worthwhile test for Plymouth’s new-look National One side, who used the game to have a look at a number of young players.
“They (Bedford) are a Championship team, who are well-drilled and have been together for a few years now,” said Koteczky. “But we’ll take away a few positives from the game.
“Obviously the scoreline blew out a little bit, but we were pretty happy as a group.
“To be the best you have to play against some top quality teams.
“We’re happy that we have got to play against Bedford and Jersey in pre-season and we now have another game (against Newton Abbot) this week.
“We’ll have another strong week and work towards that game.”
He added: “Obviously there’s some things we need to work on as a group, but, like I said, they (Bedford) are a good team who have been together for years. They are a well-executed team.
“We are not going to get too worried. We’ll definitely take the positives from the game.”
Kotezcky is hoping his fellow Australian Ford is not out for long with the ankle injury he picked up against Bedford.
“Hopefully, he recovers well with the medical staff and will be back pretty soon,” he said.
Koteczky can play fly-half, full-back or centre and where he will play might depend on injuries to other players.
He said: “I think the coaches are looking at options, depending on injuries. That’s the benefit of our squad, we have a number of players who are quite versatile and can cover a number of positions in the team.”
Albion’s game with Newton Abbot will take place on Friday (kick-off 7.30pm).