Jimmy Jambo has told kaizerchiefs.com the idea of him not making a comeback to play football never crossed his mind from the moment the injury happened on that fateful evening at a packed Bidvest Stadium in Johannesburg.

Jimmy Jambo who is affectionately known in football circles as ‘Jambo Jet 747’ tore his knee ligaments after colliding with Wits midfielder and former teammate, Tinashe Nengomasha in the first round of Telkom Knockout back in October 2012. (Kaizer Chiefs went on to lose the game 3-2).

“I remember we were pressing for an equaliser the and next thing I was down injured. I could see that it was bad but thought I will be five or six months out not for almost a year. I learnt later that we had lost the game which was even more painful,” said Jambo sited next to his wife Tendai Mutyambizi on Thursday afternoon.

“Tinashe (Nengomasha) came as I was leaving the stadium on a stretcher to apologise. He also visited me at the hospital the following day. There are no hard feelings and we remain friends. We come a long way having played together in the national team before I joined him at Chiefs."

Jambo started his rehabilitation on the 10th of January 2013; “The first step to recovery is to accept the situation you are in and the rest follows."

“I never pointed fingers when I got injured and I had to accept the situation. The idea of giving up never crossed my mind. I have always been focused on coming back and I will bounce back."

“I received a lot of encouragement from Morgan (Gould) who suffered more or less the same injury at some stage in his career. He was very supportive and I am grateful to him. The Club has also been very supportive, the other day I spoke to the Executive Chairman (Kaizer Motaung) and I have received calls from the Football Manager (Bobby Motaung) and Marketing Director (Jessica Motaung) wishing me all the best."

“My teammates have also been supportive; I remember Tefu Mashamaite coming to my house with lots of sweets. Then there was Kingston Nkhatha he was with me each and every step of the way and they even wanted to offer him a bed at the hospital. My wife has been very supportive and I am not sure if I would have been able to cope without him and Kingston,” he said.

Tendai jumped in; “It has been a very frustrating moment but we’re grateful for the support we received from the team. It is good to see him walking following the trauma I suffered when I saw the injury on TV."

The flying leftback has not missed any of the games on TV since he got injured; “We can still go all the way and win the league. We put a lot of work to be where we are in the Absa Premiership at this stage of the season. We need to double our efforts in the second round of the season. I believe in my teammates and everyone in the team that this is our season."

“The road to recovery has started for me and I have no doubt I will return stronger from this. I was inspired to see a player like Happy Jele scoring on his comeback. Watching him play has given me hope. We are also blessed at Naturena to have a wonderful Medical Team and I am sure I will come back sooner than expected,” added Jambo.