Nick Montgomery must have run over several black cats but at long last he's injury free – the midfielder now desperate to break back into Sheffield United's first team.

Despite being just 26-years-old, Montgomery is one of the Blades' longest-serving players and has clocked up nearly 300 games in almost ten years at Bramall Lane.

A tireless and hard-working midfielder, Montgomery enjoyed his best season with United's 2006-07 spell in the Premier League but a year-long career high was followed by a year-long career low during a highly-frustrating 2007-08.

Injury after injury wrecked Montgomery's season and the Leeds-born player did not feature again following January's Steel City derby after which a scan revealed that he had been playing with a broken foot.

Typical of his resilience, Montgomery has fought back but now he has a new problem – winning back his place in Kevin Blackwell's first team.

Montgomery has revelled in a full pre-season's training, marred only by a slight injury he picked up in Holland and he is at the peak of his powers for the Blades' promotion drive.

Montgomery recognises that Blackwell has a sizeable squad with an abundance of midfielders but is now desperate to be given a chance.

"It's brilliant to be back and I had a really good pre-season apart from those couple of games that I missed in Holland," he said.

"We've got a massive squad this season but there are a lot of games to play – I'm 26 now and the main aim is to get back in the side, but I can only do that when I'm given a chance.

"I can't do a lot when I'm on the bench and I don't get on but I'm just focusing on keeping my form and fighting for my place.

"We've got a big squad but that means the lads who are in the team at the minute have got to do it because if not there are players who are chomping at the bit to come in."

Having come through the youth ranks at Bramall Lane, Montgomery made his debut in 2000 against Norwich City at Carrow Road and went on to establish himself as a first-team regular.

The midfielder was a key member of the 2005-06 squad that took the Blades to the Premier League, but it was in the top flight itself where Montgomery enjoyed his best season for the South Yorkshire club.

Despite the heartbreak of relegation, Montgomery enjoyed 26 league appearances as well as a Carling Cup goal against Birmingham City and admits that campaign was definitely his best.

However, as the midfielder recalls, things then took a dramatic turn for the worse with injury after injury which began with a dislocated shoulder at Aston Villa in May 2007.

"It was the best season of my life in the Premier League – it was fantastic and I felt like I more than held my own and did as well as anyone else," he said.

"I then dislocated my shoulder against Villa and I missed all pre-season and when I came back I had a double hernia operation.