John Herron: Heart scares, comebacks and pressure - Larne midfielder ready for Glens reunion

Despite the serious nature of cardiac conditions, for John Herron it was a case "when, not if" he could return to action after collapsing on the pitch at the end of November.

The Larne midfielder has already opened up to BBC Sport about his collapse, spending four nights in hospital and the 'miracle' that his heart was undamaged - but on Monday his hopes of a return became a reality when he played the full 90 minutes of the 3-1 win over Carrick Rangers.

It was one month to the day since the 27-year-old collapsed and his return was only possible after numerous tests concluded it was safe to do so.

Celtic reached out to the Glasgow native and in the week leading up to Christmas he flew home to Scotland for final checks from both specialists at his former club and independent doctors.

Then, on Christmas Eve, Herron received the best present he could have asked for.

"I was sitting in the house and the specialist phoned me and said I'd got the green light," he said.

"I'm not really an emotional type of person but I was absolutely buzzing.

"I've always said it was a matter of when, not if, but at the same time I knew there was a possibility they could say no.

"When they said it was okay it was a huge relief."

One training session was all it took for Herron to show manager Tiernan Lynch that he was ready for a return and he was back in the starting line-up for the festive derby.

"I see things differently now, not just in football but in general," he added.

"The game itself was okay, but it hit me more after the match when the whistle went. I stood and had a minute to myself, thinking 'this is class'.

"I wasn't scared or nervous. I ran around 12km and that was after only one training session. I'm a fit boy and look after myself.

"People were saying I didn't have to play anymore because of what had happened. I easily could have walked away but it didn't faze me.

"I want to play, this is what I do. I've been doing it since I was a young boy and I don't want to be finished at 27."

After beating Carrick Rangers, the game against Glentoran on New Year's Day is huge in terms of Larne's season.

Glentoran, where Herron spent 18 months before moving to Larne, are on a 14-game unbeaten run and have the top scorer in the league in the shape of in-form Jay Donnelly.

By comparison, Larne have won two and lost two of their last four games as they struggle for consistency and sit eight points behind the joint-leaders in fourth position.

"I'm looking forward to Saturday and I still have a lot of friends there," said Herron on his time at the Oval.

"I'm really close with manager Mick McDermott and my best friend in Northern Ireland is [Glentoran midfielder] Hrvoje Plum, we had Christmas dinner together.

"I loved my time at Glentoran and the fans. Some will like me, some will give me grief. I'm able to laugh it off and have a bit of banter back."

With the game crucial to the title aspirations of both sides, Herron says it is up to Larne to rise to the occasion and battle their way back into contention.

"There is always pressure. When you play for a big club then it doesn't matter if you are facing Linfield, Glentoran, Warrenpoint or Dungannon - you are under pressure to win every time," he added.

"You have to thrive under that pressure and that is the difference between players who play at the top and those who don't.

"It will be the same for Glentoran, they will feel it is a must-win game too. It's going to be tough and it will be feisty, but there is a lot of quality on the pitch and I know there will be a good atmosphere.

"We will go there and try to get the job done to get us back up to where we think we should be."