Tom Parkes says he’s ready to resume his season after coping with the mental and physical challenges of being sidelined.

The big Carlisle United defender is back after more than a month out with a hamstring injury.

He returned as a sub at MK Dons last weekend and will be in the squad to face Colchester today.

Parkes said: “The worst part is when you’re injured and you see the boys in the changing rooms getting ready, and I’m having to go into the gym doing rehab work to make sure things are fine.

“It gets you down a little bit but I got my mindset right from day one to make sure that when I do get back, I can train hard.

“I feel good. I’ve had a week’s full training now to help put myself in contention to play [today] so we’ll see what happens.”

Parkes had been out since the 2-1 defeat at Macclesfield on October 20.

The ex-Bristol Rovers man now wants to play a key part in Carlisle’s attempt to improve their form at a key time of the season.

On his return as a 11th-minute sub last weekend – something boss John Sheridan admitted was sooner than he would have preferred – Parkes said: “I was sitting on the bench and could see Jerry [Yates] wasn’t feeling right, and got the shout to warm up.

“At times when you get that shout you think they’ll get through it but it wasn’t to be.

“I felt lucky to get back out on the pitch after being out for such a while.

“It was a case of getting chucked back in against a good team and it caught up with me a bit, but as the game went on I felt better.

“I was pleased to be back out there, but disappointed with the result. Before the injury I felt I was getting stronger each game.

“Now I have to make sure I stay on top of things, keep the hamstring strong and get back into the rhythm of playing and playing well for the team and the club.”

Parkes, 26, believes United are capable of going on the sort of run they need to return to realistic play-off contention. He added: “We want to stay as close as we can, and the squad we’ve got is capable of staying around that part of the league.

“We’ve got to make sure we stay focused and be 100 per cent prepared.

“Everybody knows the Christmas period is a tough one, with games coming thick and fast.

“We’ve played really well in some games but not got the results we’ve wanted, so hopefully we can turn that around against Colchester. The squad we have is capable of winning any game in this league. Hopefully we can turn around the bad run we’ve had and take some momentum through the Christmas period.”