Jake Abbott marked his playing comeback with a fine second half try as the back row dynamo put months of frustration behind him in the crunching 81-13 win over Bristol Rugby.
Abbott has been left on the sidelines to watch his team-mates since suffering a serious knee injury against Bristol in the RFU Championships in early October.
But the Worcester-born flanker made his return just before the hour as a replacement for Neil Best and within six minutes broke clear of tackles to score with a try that lifted the roof at Sixways.
“It’s great for Jake’s confidence that he scored,” said Head Coach Richard Hill, after watching his back row ace return with a bang.
“It was always going to be a big ask for Jake. We wouldn’t normally put him in quite so early.
“But with James Collins still suffering with a little bit of concussion and Adam Balding a little injury this week, we asked him to play.
“The medical team were happy that Jake was ready to go and it was a question of whether he felt confident enough to play his first game, without any other match rugby.
“He was desperate to play and we know what Jake is like – he is a like a mad dog in training and 100 percent.
“To score a try, well you could see the delight on his face and I think the crowd were excellent for him too.
“They gave him a good cheer and deservedly so. He had a great start with us and we were all disappointed when he had that horrific injury back in October. He is now back and he is going to be a good player for this club.”