ACCRINGTON Stanley new-boy Mark King is hoping to put his injury hell behind him and help the Reds in their push for promotion.

The 19-year-old Scouser is a product of the academy of Premier League neighbours Blackburn and signed a contract with the Ewood Park outfit just last year.

However, two serious knee injuries curtailed his progress with Rovers.

And although King admitted the setbacks were tough to take at the time, he revealed he never gave up hope of following his footballing dream.

He said: "I tore ligaments in my knee in a match for the reserves against Wigan last October and, when I came back two months later, I done near enough the exact same injury in a training session.

"It's been a nightmare really and it was a bit of a bad time for me, but I always thought I could come back."

It shows the strength of character the teenager possesses that he has come back and, while his time with Rovers came to an end without a first team appearance, after arriving at the Fraser Eagle Stadium earlier this month on a free transfer, he is desperate to prove his worth with Stanley.

He added: "I wouldn't say it was frustrating at Rovers because there's a lot of good players there and it's really hard to break into the first team. But I needed to get out and get experience. I'd played in the reserves for quite a long time, but because of the injuries, I wasn't really getting enough football."

So, when John Coleman came in with an opportunity for the left-back to show his skills in League Two, King jumped at it.

And, while he has experienced a baptism of fire with his new team-mates - a 3-3 draw against Chester and an 8-2 defeat at Peterborough - he has seen anough to convince himself that the Reds can still be a force this season.

He said: "It's been good. All the lads have been brilliant and I've settled in well. I know the results haven't been great, but I'm quite happy with the way I played.

"We've got a good mix of young players and experienced players and I'm sure we can do well, we just need a run of results and we need to stop conceding soft goals."