FORMER Morton player Jack Purdue could have been forgiven for not wanting to look at a football pitch again, let alone play on one.

But four years after suffering a horror leg break that almost saw him lose the limb altogether, he's rediscovered his enjoyment of football after more than two years away from the game.

Purdue is back in the thick of it with Port Glasgow JuniorsPurdue is back in the thick of it with Port Glasgow Juniors (Image: Alex Craig)

The 25-year-old returned to the action at the end of the summer when he signed for Port Glasgow Juniors.

His arrival at Parklea has seen Purdue reunited with close friends and former teammates from the early days of his career - and he says he's loving being able to enjoy his football once again.

"Port Glasgow and Greenock are equally as local for me," he told the Tele.

"At the start of the season they both asked the question when I wasn't doing much.

"I'd taken six months off before coming here, to just focus on working and things like that, so I'm really glad to be back playing and enjoying it.

"I know a few of the boys here because I came through at Morton with them. Alex McWaters senior is the assistant manager, and I've known him for years, since Alex junior and I played at Morton. It was a no-brainer for me to come here.

"Football is about playing with your mates and enjoying it, and I've not played with my pals since high school.

"It's been good and I've really enjoyed it."

And being able to enjoy the sport for what it is is something that the classy midfielder isn't taking for granted.

Early on in the 2020/21 season, the former Cappielow kid suffered a horror double leg break whilst in action for League One side Annan Athletic in a derby match against Stranraer.

Purdue broke his leg four years agoPurdue broke his leg four years ago (Image: supplied])

He needed four surgeries and a skin graft on his right leg, with rods and pins put into the limb.

His situation worsened when complications from the surgery left him with compartment syndrome, a condition in which a lack of blood flow causes the area affected by an injury to swell up double the size it normally would.

It left Purdue facing the prospect of losing his leg altogether, never mind ever playing football again.

"After the journey I've been on in the last few years, I'm really happy to be in a place where I'm enjoying my football," he added.

"The more time you spend away, the more eager you find yourself to play.

"I took a year abroad in Australia and it was a brilliant year away, but there were more important things back here.

"All in, it was 13 months I spent on the sidelines, and not many people come back from that.

"To come back from compartment syndrome, to still be able to run about and kick a ball, is something I won't take for granted.

"To say football is a release now is quite nice. I don't think a lot of people would want to come back to it after going through all that.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still wary, and the leg is permanently sore with the pins in there.

"There is the option of getting them taken out, but again, I've had four surgeries. I don't want to go through that process again."

And Purdue is looking to use his newfound freedom to help his new side get back to a standing where they truly belong.

He's been a regular for the Undertakers since putting pen to paper on his Parklea deal, and he's determined to help them bounce back from the agony of relegation on the last day of the 2023-24 campaign.

"The Port might be in the fourth division of junior football, but they should be nowhere near that," he said.

"I just want to help them get back to where they belong after a tough couple of seasons.

"It's hard, but it's brilliant to have something to look forward to on a Saturday - and it'd be nice to help the club achieve their aim of promotion come the end of the season."