MILLWALL manager Neil Harris hailed the return of Carlos Edwards in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy win against Peterborough on Tuesday night.
Edwards played the full 90-plus minutes on his return to competitive football 344 days after suffering a serious knee injury.
The defender was released in the summer but was allowed to carry on his rehabilitation with the Lions before earning a new deal until January after proving his fitness.
And the Millwall boss is pleased to finally be able to call on Edwards’ experience, something he believes the squad have missed.
“He is a great fellow, and it is great to have him back in the dressing room.” Harris said.
“To have him back in the squad and to have his leadership is brilliant. He’s not a big shouter or talker, but he is calm.
“I think he would be the first to admit there was a little bit of rustiness in him at times, but that'll improve.
“With every game that he plays he will get better.
“He played some lovely passes and a couple of the attacks we had towards the end of the game were balls he played slightly longer into the channel.
“He has the ability and the knowledge to mix his game up.”
Edwards, 36, took to Twitter after the win to express his feelings on his return after almost a year out.
He tweeted: “It felt good to be back, and back to winning ways, long may it continue”
Meanwhile, Harris is pleased that the international break will give his side time to recover from a relentless start to the new campaign.
And the Lions boss hopes that he will soon be able to call on defensive reinforcements with Joe Martin and Shane Ferguson close to a first-team return after their respective injuries.
Harris said: “It’s an opportunity to get players back and recover from the hard work we've done since the end of June.
“And it’s an opportunity to work really hard and get the payers fitter and stronger, and I think that being able to get Joe and Shane fit again will be key for us.”