Barnet defender James Pearson says working with other long-term absentees has helped him as he continues his rehabilitation from knee surgery.

The former Leicester City right-back has been sidelined since pre-season after suffering a micro-fracture at the bottom of his femur and undergoing a repair of his lateral cartilage.

Unfortunately, Pearson has been joined in the treatment room by Gavin Hoyte and Michael Gash – both of whom have suffered long-term knee injuries – but he says the camaraderie has helped him during his recovery while working with physiotherapist Luigi Cerullo.

“There’s a few of us up there and it helps," Pearson admitted. "There was a spell where I was up in the gym on my own for a couple of days and mentally it’s a lot harder when you’re on your own.

“You don’t want other players injured but it helps when you’ve got other players in there with you because they’re driving you on to work hard – especially if you’ve got players who are generally hard-working.

“It’s steady," he said of his rehabilitation. "It’s a difficult injury to manage in certain ways because it’s all about waiting for the bone to heal. But I’m getting on with things, working hard and, hopefully, pushing for a return in the near future."

The full-back won’t be fit for Saturday’s trip to Shrewsbury Town in the Emirates FA Cup first round, but is hoping for another run in the competition after reaching the third round in 2015 while on loan at Wrexham.

“I’ve got a few FA Cup memories," he said. "My last FA Cup memory was on loan at Wrexham. We played against Stoke City in the third round which was the furthest I’ve gone in the competition.

"That was a good experience and hopefully we can emulate that here. Hopefully we can progress and come the third round, I might have a chance of playing."

You can watch James’ full video interview below: