AS ST KILDA’S lead over the Bulldogs slowly slipped away on Friday night, there was one positive the Saints fans could draw on.

Brendon Goddard was never going to set the world on fire in his first game back from a knee reconstruction, but 20 possessions and 10 marks later he was one of few shining lights in an otherwise forgettable night for the Saints.

Goddard admits he was nervous in the lead-up to the game.

“It’s a weird feeling. It’s almost like the feeling of your first game again. I sat down during the week and tried to gather some memories of my last game, it’s hard to actually do that,” he said.

“It actually doesn’t seem that long because I’ve had a pretty good pre-season and felt like I’ve been involved with the boys from day one of the pre-season.”

Goddard said there were fears in the back of his mind that he would re-injure the knee but was reassured that he had ticked all the boxes.

“You put it in perspective and while it does enter your mind you’ve got to weigh it up and say ‘I’ve done the work and done everything right’. It would just be bad luck if it did happen again.”

The 22-year-old sought guidance from senior midfielders Lenny Hayes and Robert Harvey, who have both come back from knee reconstructions.

Hayes was in his first few weeks of his own return when Goddard went down in the match against the Sydney Swans last year.

“Lenny offered some advice about backing up week to week because he found it a bit hard to find that bit extra that gave him that edge,” Goddard said.

“I’m a little bit ahead of Lenny at this stage, he felt he came back too early and that’s what I didn’t want to fall into the trap of doing.”

Far from being carried away by his own performance, Goddard was visibly disappointed by the side’s loss after leading by six goals at quarter time. He said a lack of focus rather than leg speed was the reason for the fadeout.

“It’s not so much being run off our feet. It was the lack of concentration, especially when we do win the footy first and get a clearance. I think the boys got caught ball watching at times,” Goddard said.

“We’ve got to win the contested footy and first possession at the clearances and the ability to defend. Saying that, it’s a bit hard when the ball’s coming through the midfield so easily.”