HARRY Kyprianou is keen to make up for lost time at Southend United.

The 22-year-old defender spent 15 months on the sidelines with an Achilles injury before returning to the starting line-up for Tuesday night's 1-0 defeat to Gillingham at Roots Hall.

And Kyprianou was delighted to be back in action.

"It was good to be back," said Kyprianou.

"I'd been out a very long time so it felt good to be playing again and competing for most of the game.

"We were unfortunate to concede the goal but the boys gave it their best.

"It's not a secret we have a lot of young players at the moment and they can be proud of themselves again as everyone worked really hard."

Kyprianou had been on the sidelines since November 2018.

But he had no qualms about coming straight back into the team without making a single appearance for the under 23 team.

"I've only really trained the last week or so and I've not had an under 23 game but I felt pretty good," said Kyprianou.

"I didn't really feel too concerned about it though because I've done a lot of good work with the sport science guys.

"So although I hadn't had games I still felt well conditioned and ready to go."

Kyprianou played 75 minutes on the left hand side of the defence.

But the former Cyprus under 21 international felt he could have carried on for longer if needed.

"I didn't feel like my legs were tiring and I felt quite strong," said Kyprianou.

"The manager decided to bring me off but I think that was more managing the situation rather than me starting to struggle and I feel like I could definitely play again on Saturday."

Blues host Burton Albion at the weekend and Kyprianou is thrilled his injury nightmare has now come to an end.

"I'm not going to lie, it's been difficult," said Kyprianou.

"I've tried to stay positive throughout and I've looked forward to this moment so I'm glad it's finally come."

And Kyprianou was keen to thank those who had helped him to get back on the pitch.

"I have a strong family who always support me and they carry you through the more difficult times," said Kyprianou.

"The staff and the medical team have been great and we have a good group of boys.

"It's not been great for us on the pitch but I've had Sam Barratt and Lewis Gard plus Ben Coker and Tom Hopper when they were here in there with me and we all pulled each other through the difficult moments."

But Kyprianou is now focusing on the remaining 12 matches of the season.

"As a team we have to keep fighting until the end," said the defender.

"From a personal point of view I want to make up for lost time.

"I want to try and stay fit and get some more minutes and matches."