Mackie seeks to repay Neil Warnock’s faith by getting back among the goals

Jamie Mackie insists he can play a key role for QPR this season - and is urging Neil Warnock to give him a shot as a striker.

Mackie spent almost nine months on the sidelines recovering from the double leg break he suffered in an FA Cup tie with Blackburn in January.

But after featuring in a reserve game last week, Mackie made his long-awaited return to the first team with an 18-minute cameo against Fulham on Sunday.

The 26-year-old is now eager to force his way back into Warnock’s plans and, having largely operated as a wide man in his time playing under Warnock, he now wants his chance to play in the centre.

“I’d love to play up front, everyone knows that, I want to score goals and I’ll play anywhere for the team,” said Mackie. “I feel fine now. I’ve done a lot of rehab work with the club, so I’ve got to this stage and I’m delighted to be back.

“Hopefully I’ll get the rewards for my hard work now. I’ve been a pain in the backside to everyone, I’ve wanted to be back playing.

“He [Warnock] has put me in the squad so I feel like I can play a massive part, that’s all I need to know.

“As long as the gaffer picks me I’m happy and I’ll definitely repay him, I’m very confident about that.

“I’d never had a bad injury, but I’m a really positive person, all I was thinking was how quickly I could get back.

“It was a bad break, a double leg break, so no-one could give me an exact time, it depended how quickly the bones healed. That was why it took so long, mine didn’t heal particularly quickly.

“It was really hard, but I’m not the first one to have been injured for a long time, a lot of lads have had that in their career and it’s part of the territory really.

“Luckily I’m mentally strong anyway and I’ve got through it. Every day I was thinking about getting back, and luckily enough I’ve been able to do that in the Premier League.”

Mackie’s injury forced him to sit out QPR’s promotion to the Premier League, but he is confident of rediscovering the form he displayed during the early weeks of last season, when he scored eight goals in eight games in the Championship.

“It was really really hard to sit out QPR’s promotion. I played a massive part early on, I was loving my football, playing well – I was in the form of my life really,” Mackie added.

“But those things happen, I got injured at a bad time and the lads did amazing to get promoted. I just need to get back on the pitch.

“The gaffer has shown so much faith in me by getting me back into the squad and I just need to repay him now, I’m sure I will.”

Follow Ian Cooper on Twitter @QPRTimes