It took one year, four months and 19 days, or as Ho Wai Loon would tell you - 504 days - for him to return to competitive action.
But the defender, 27, wants more than just a substitute appearance - which was what he did in Balestier Khalsa's 3-1 loss to Geylang International in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) last Sunday.
Ho, whose last international call-up came under Fandi Ahmad in 2018, is determined to get back into the Singapore national team.
But first, he must nail down a regular spot with the Tigers, the club he began his career with, starting with today's clash against the Young Lions at Toa Payoh.
Ho has joined Balestier on loan till the end of the season from parent club Lion City Sailors, as he seeks crucial game time following a lengthy spell out after fracturing his right ankle in March last year.
Unfortunately, it is a familiar feeling for him. In 2015, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which also ruled him out for more than a year.
Said Ho: "As soon as it happened, I knew I was in deep trouble because there was such a loud sound. I remembered how mentally exhausting coming back from the first injury was and now I had to do it all over again."
But the support staff and medical team at the Sailors rallied around Ho and he now sees "no reason to just give up".
"What's important is that I am a regular... at Balestier, repay the faith and trust shown to me by the coach," he said.
Balestier coach Marko Kraljevic thinks it is only a matter of time before Ho is a fixture in his first XI and back in the national fold.
He said: "He has a never-say-die attitude and you see that even in training... I am sure he will return back to his form."
The Tigers are winless in seven matches while the Young Lions are without a win all season.
But Young Lions head coach Philippe Aw is not too concerned about a victory, saying: "There is no pressure on chasing that win. We are just focused on playing according to our principles and the better we get at that, (the faster the) results will come."
Meanwhile, four matches have been rescheduled to allow Tampines Rovers sufficient rest following their Asian Champions League matches in Uzbekistan.
The Aug 4 clash against Sailors and Aug 8 game against Geylang have now been moved to Sept 21 and Aug 25 respectively.
Two matches will also be brought forward due to the postponed National Day celebrations. Tampines' match against Balestier has been rescheduled from Aug 21 to Aug 19 while the Hougang v Geylang game will be moved from Aug 21 to Aug 20.
