Workington Reds captain Gari Rowntree says he’s thrilled to have made it through his first full 90 minutes in the league in six months.

The 30-year-old missed the start of the season through a knee injury, but returned to the pitch in late October.

He made his first appearance of the season against Aspatria in the County Cup and was substituted after 62 minutes.

Rowntree played his first full game since his return against Frizington White Star in the County Cup earlier this month.

His first full league match of the season came against Ilkeston last Saturday and he also managed the full 90 minutes against Spennymoor on Tuesday.

Rowntree’s return to the first team setup has coincided with an upturn in fortunes with Reds now on a five-game winning run without conceding.

He said: “I probably should have come off on Tuesday because I was really tired.

“Doing Saturday and Tuesday when you first come back, the second game is hard.

“I feel okay at the moment and my knee feels fine. It takes a bit of getting used to.

“I’ve had a more difficult start than I thought I would with Saturday and Tuesday.

“I was hoping it would be Saturday then Saturday, but if you’re doing well you want to keep playing.”

Prior to his return, Rowntree’s last game for the club was in April in a 1-0 victory over Matlock Town.

Reds’ revival has seen them beat Marine, Corby, Ilkeston and Spennymoor in the league to propel them to the edge of the play-offs.

The Borough Park outfit are next in action tomorrow when they travel to last season’s promotion rivals Stourbridge.

Another clean sheet tomorrow would leave them just one short of matching their seven-game clean sheet run from last season.

Rowntree added: “One of the main things for us is to keep a clean sheet. It’s our main chance for us to pick up points.

“Everyone grafted on Tuesday and we got what we needed. It was a big game for us, especially after they turned us over earlier this month.

“All the lads are buzzing with another three points and a clean sheet. We’ll try to keep that run going and keep picking points up.”