Watching from the sidelines wasn’t easy for George Thomason, but he is now back in the thick of the action.

The midfielder has made a couple of starts since his return from a knee injury, including the 1-1 draw against Burton at the Pirelli Stadium.

He also came off the bench for the final 20 minutes against Fleetwood last weekend as the Whites secured a top six spot.

Thomason has already had a big rise in his short career, going from the non-league pyramid with Longridge to playing regular League One football.

But the 22-year-old is eager to keep improving his game and maintained his strong work ethic during his time out of action.

“I am always taking in the game around me, whether I am watching from the stands or on the bench,” he explained.

“I am super critical of my own game and will analyse to get better in all aspects. I am always looking to improve and gain those little one per cents.”

Thomason made his return in the 4-0 win against Plymouth at Wembley, coming off the bench for the final eight minutes.

It was a day to remember for the midfielder, and he believes Wanderers’ preparation had a big impact against the Pilgrims.

“I think we went down earlier than Plymouth and we had a good two days of preparation for that game,” Thomason recalled. “We really got to scout the stadium on the Saturday and did a bit of ‘tourism’.

“On the Sunday, it was purely business. We knew what we had to go and do - the gameplan we had to deliver - and we did that on the day.

“I know you can’t match the surroundings and the amount of people who are going to be in there.

“But once you got your head around how big the place was, what the pitch looked like and how it was going to feel, I think the overriding feeling was more of excitement. We were just raring to get going and get the game under way.”

Now that Thomason has had a taste of playing at the famous venue, he is determined to get back there in the play-offs.

Sheffield Wednesday or Barnsley stand in their way in the semi-final depending on results this weekend.

“A couple of the lads and the manager touched on it afterwards, you are hungry for that feeling and you want it again,” the midfielder continued.

“There are not many chances in your career when you get to play in front of 80,000 people and get a chance to win something.

“You always want to be involved in those sort of games, so it is definitely motivation to get there again. I feel the experience will definitely put us in good stead if we do get there again.”