PATRICK Hoban says the longest lay-off of his career has made him feel like a “caged animal”.

Fortunately for the Irishman, the wait to pull on an Oxford United shirt for the first time is nearly over.

The visit to Dagenham & Redbridge tomorrow will come too soon, but Hoban, who suffered an ankle injury shortly after signining in November, is due to play for the development side next week.

If all goes well, he will be available for the squad next Saturday, when Southend United arrive at the Kassam Stadium.

  • Latest United news:

It cannot come soon enough for Hoban, who has never had a history of injuries.

He said: “I’m just dying to get out there, even in training.

“Being injured in the last two months makes that caged animal feeling more powerful.

“I’ve never really been injured, the longest I’ve been out is three weeks.

“I’ve been working hard to get fit and done a lot of stuff in the gym to get my body strong and ready for when I could play.”

United moved to sign the striker after he netted 20 goals to help fire Dundalk to the league title in Ireland, which finished in October.

Converting chances has been the big problem for his new side this season and head coach Michael Appleton is confident Hoban will help address the problem.

It is not an issue for the player, who is unfazed by the prospect.

He said: “There’s no real pressure on me at all.

“I’m just enjoying being here and looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“I see that as a goal for me to get in the team first and then to put the ball into the back of the net to help out the guys around me.”

Hoban was a big favourite with supporters in Dundalk, who gave him the nickname ‘the Hobanator’.

And he is keen to make a strong impression with U’s fans.

He said: “That’s what every player dreams of is getting their name sung by the crowd – that means you’re doing something well.

“I was getting my name sung when I was at Dundalk because I was doing well, so I’ll be planning on doing the same thing happens here.

“I’m just looking forward to making the difference with the team and hopefully get better results on the board to drive up the league.”

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.