Dons midfielder Gareth Edds took another step down the road to recovery when he had the cast removed from his injured ankle at the end of last week.

Having undergone an operation to solve a persistent problem in his left ankle with specialist consultant Panos Thomas some six weeks ago, the Aussie utility man was finally released from plaster and put into a high-tech air-cast to continue his rehabilitation.

Edds will now begin strengthening work on the joint with physios Simon Crampton and Paul Collins ahead of his return to full training.

And with light at the end of the tunnel, the 26-year-old says there has been no shortage of inspiration in the medical room.

He said: "I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of people for working so hard while I have been injured.

"Simon and Paul have been absolutely fantastic helping me through the recovery process, they've kept my spirits up no end and have been a great support base for me.

"Mitch has been brilliant as well. As someone who is also going through a long-term injury, he's spent a lot of time in the gym with me and we've done a lot of our rehab in the same environment.

Dons head physio Simon Crampton in action on matchday.

"It's easy to let your spirits drop when you're not playing football for a long time but the three of them haven't let me slip into it. Their encouragement has been first class and I owe them a lot for that.

"Mitch has also been great giving me lifts everywhere because I haven't been able to drive!"

Whilst explaining the technology behind Eddsy' new air-cast, Dons head physio Simon Crampton said he has been delighted with his progress.

He said: "The ankle has healed as well as we would have expected so both Panos and I are very pleased.

"The air boot will work like the old Reebok Pump trainers used to - you can pump up different parts of the boot to provide support where you need it.

"The beauty of having him in the boot is that we can get access to the ankle to do strengthening work while still providing the necessary protection when Eddsy needs it.

"He'll be in that for three weeks before we review it. If all is well and we know his range of movement in his ankle is back to normal we can start strengthening the calf muscle and building him up towards full training."