JAI QUITONGO was given a harsh lesson at the start of the year that in football the good times can be quickly and cruelly ended.

Everything was going so well for Morton teenager in January. He was playing some great stuff in a winning team, it seemed every week a new club was linked with him as the hype grew around this exciting young talent.

But as he turned 19, Quitongo was told he needed knee surgery. His season ended there and then.

Whether Morton could have been more of a force in the Championship play-offs with their striker fit we will never know.

However, he surely would have been an asset given his form before injury.

Quitongo made his comeback last Tuesday with a substitute outing in a bounce game against Ayr United. He will still have a bit to go before being back to his best, but at least he was able to kick a ball again.

It has been a long and difficult time for a player who has been counting the days until he was back on the field.

Speaking to the club website, Quitongo said: “It felt good to be back. And I’m excited because I’ve put the work in for the past seven months.

“I know it down to the day, honestly. I’ve been counting down because I’ve been itching to come back. Obviously at the end of last season I was desperate to be out there and part of it.

“I actually thought I was going to play a couple of weeks back but I had a wee reaction in training, nothing serious, just something that’s part of parcel when you’ve had a knee injury.

“The manager has been great and has taken care of me. It could have been another manager rushing me back, shoving me in at the deep end straight away.

“I’m excited to get back involved now. I don’t have any nerves about it, because if it [the injury] happened again, it happened again – you couldn’t change that.”

Quitongo’s progress will be monitored closed by the Morton medical staff and he was able to make another appearance from the bench on Saturday during his side’s 6-1 win at Turriff.

And he even managed to win a penalty which Michael Tidser converted. Bob McHugh helped himself to a hat-trick in the friendly with fellow new singing Robert Thomson also on the scoresheet, as was Scott Tiffoney.

Quitongo said: “When I was on the pitch I felt good; it was good to get a run out. I was blowing – I’m usually fitter, but that comes with match fitness and playing more games.

“I had a wee chance to score [against Ayr] and was disappointed I never took it. I’ve not played in ages, so there was a wee bit of rustiness, but that goes away with matches.

“I just want to keep getting more game time as the weeks go on, get more minutes under my belt, and eventually build up to being ready to start a match.”