Scott Gumbleton is desperate to repay the faith put in him by the Essendon Football Club by producing some strong performances in the second half of the season.

After signing a two-year deal last month, Gumbleton admits he is hungrier than ever to play competitive football and add to the five AFL games he experienced last year.

The number two pick of the 2006 draft played his first match for Bendigo on Monday after hamstring and knee injuries sidelined him since pre-season.

Despite only playing half the match, Gumbleton kicked two goals, took some strong pack marks and showed plenty of promise. His performance suggested a return to senior football is not far away.

""It was good to finally have a run around playing footy,"" Gumbleton said. ""I have missed a fair bit of it with injuries and it is good to get back out there and have a kick.""

The 198cm, key-position player is yet to play an AFL game this season after injuring his knee only days after completing rehabilitation for another hamstring tear.

""I guess the injuries make you a lot more hungry,"" Gumbleton said. ""After being out for so long and watching everyone else play, I really want to be out there.

""I was shattered to start with. I felt absolutely devastated in knowing I would be out for another five weeks when I had just worked so hard to get back from a hamstring injury. The thought of being in rehab was pretty devastating.

""I have had great support from the club though. The guys who have come through rehab with me such as Scott Lucas and Andrew Welsh have helped me out a bit.

""Mark McVeigh also gave me a few inspiring words at one stage which helped me out a fair bit and has made me want to get back out there even more.

""I guess injuries are always going to be on your mind a little bit given I have been out for so long and have missed a lot of footy. The medical staff and the fitness staff have treated me well and looked after me a fair bit so I have confidence in my body.""

Gumbleton is contracted to the Bombers until the end of the 2010 season and while expectations continue to grow around this exciting 20-year-old, he is taking it all in his stride.

""I guess there has been a fair bit of pressure on me ever since the day I walked in here as a number two draft pick,"" he said.

""I try not to look at that as pressure but try to use it to make me a better player for this club.

""It was good to see that the club showed a bit of faith in me by offering me a new two-year contract even though I have been injured and haven’t played as much footy as I would have liked.

""I think it shows the club is interested in me and want me to play a part in the future of the club. I think it also proves that all the hard work you put in does eventually pay off.""

Gumbleton won't put a time frame on his senior return but his coach believes it could be as soon as Round 12 against Carlton at the MCG.

""I want him to play with Essendon sooner rather than later,"" Matthew Knights said.

""He only played 60 minutes on Monday after a long time out and we have a Friday night game this week so it’s not realistic for him to return yet from a recovery perspective,"" he said.

""He will line-up for Bendigo again on Sunday and we’ll have a look at him (for a senior return) the following week.""

Knights said he enjoyed going to see the emerging forward in his return game and is excited about what Gumbleton will bring to the side.

""I was impressed with what I saw on the weekend,"" Knights said.

""The way he plays is very honest, he is very technically sound. He didn't worry that is was his first game back, he just flew back into a pack.

""He played about 60 minutes in a mixture of wing and forward and during that time he moved well around the ground and got five or six touches early in the game. In the second quarter kicked two goals.

""What I was most impressed with was the way he flew for balls. There were occasional clashes in the air where he came off second best but he got up and kept going.""