IT’S been a long and arduous road back to fitness for Milton Oni.
But the promising young Colchester United midfielder is now back where he belongs - on the pitch.
And the 19-year-old has made a personal vow having now returned following a prolonged period on the sidelines, after an untimely knee injury cruelly halted his rapid progress more than 12 months ago.
“The aim isn’t to return to where I was but to be better than I was, before I got injured,” said Oni.
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“I just have to keep working hard and keep pushing from here.”
Oni is slowly building up his match time, having been sidelined for more than a year after he ruptured his ACL and tore his medial meniscus while playing for Colchester in their Carabao Cup tie against Brentford back in August 2024.
The injury came just days after the midfielder had made his U’s professional debut in another Carabao Cup tie against Reading and then his league debut a few days later, against MK Dons.
“It’s been a long journey back,” admits Oni, who signed his first professional contract for Colchester, last summer.
“This experience has made me resilient, and it’s taught me a lot of lessons, off the pitch.
“Colchester United have had my back all the way and have been really supportive from the start of my injury to now, which I’m very, very grateful for.
“The injury was what it was but I’m just happy and grateful to be on the other side of it and able to play football again.
“Being back involved in football, whether it’s training or matches, is great.
“Me and the gaffer [Danny Cowley] have had chats but for me now, it’s about focusing on what I need to do and it’s a step-by-step process to get to where we want to get to.”
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Oni continued his return to match action when he played for nearly an hour of Colchester’s BBC Essex Senior Cup tie against Aveley, on Tuesday night.
It was Oni’s fourth game since returning from injury, having also featured for the under-21s against Charlton Athletic, AFC Bournemouth and Norwich City academy teams.
Oni added: “It feels good to be back.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to play football again, all glory to God.
“For me, it’s about focusing on getting my match minutes in and getting my fitness back up and hopefully, getting to where I was before and keep pushing from there.
“Everything is a step-by-step process and I just need to keep my head down and just keep working hard and the results will come.”
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