By Jonathan Stevenson

"To have everything you have worked for taken away from you is difficult to come to terms with. But I will keep working hard and keep positive and I know my chance will come again."

King cost Watford �500,000 from Nottingham Forest in 2005

If only every footballer who had suffered such a devastating injury had the same attitude as Marlon King.

The 26-year-old striker spent eight years hovering around the lower divisions, until a move to Watford re-ignited his career and propelled him into the promised land of the Premiership.

Just eight games and two goals in, King went to hospital for what he thought was a routine operation on his right knee.

When he woke up, the doctors told him to forget about playing again this season.

The Jamaican international talks BBC Sport through his injury nightmare and explains what part he has had to play in the Hornets' fight to hold on to their Premiership status.

It was different I guess because it was caused by wear and tear, not one specific incident. It was after we lost at Arsenal I realised I needed something to be done.

There was no sudden impact, it was just that my knee was being battered around a bit. I was feeling niggles but taking painkillers, but after Arsenal it blew up and we went to see the doctor.

MARLON KING FACTFILE Born: 26 April, 1980, Dulwich Clubs: Barnet (60 apps/14 goals), Gillingham (116/47), Nottm For (57/15), Leeds (loan, 9/0), Watford (53/24) International: Jamaica (12 caps/six goals)

They scanned it and couldn't see anything so I let it settle down and started training again, but when it blew up again the surgeon decided to open it up and see what was going on in there.

He went in with a camera and moved a bit of tissue and there was more tissue flapping away and he had to cut that and then drill holes into the side of my knee to make it bleed, so when it forms back into tissue it goes back to normal.

It was a hell of a shock, because when I woke up from the operation I thought they'd tell me I'd be out for six weeks or so, not six months. I was taken aback, to say the least.

I'd say it was the most disappointing thing that's happened to me in football, but you have to stay positive and get on with it.

I thought to myself, 'it's not like he's telling me I've got cancer or AIDS', you know, some people get much worse news - it's always been repairable and I've always been positive.

You have to let the healing process take place, you cannot rush things like this because there is always a risk you go too soon and don't give it the chance to recover properly.

After two months I was able to walk again, then I had a scan and they said my knee was one of the best they'd seen, so I'm back in light training now, doing bike work, swimming and weights.

I've got a weight plan and a gym plan and it's been going really well for a couple of weeks.

I've got to go and see the surgeon again in six weeks and if everything is OK he will let me start full training again, which takes me up to the end of March.

There's a chance I'll be there for the end of the season, if it all goes well, touch wood. But I want to be right for the long term.

I'm a terrible watcher, ask anyone. I must admit, it's hard to have to watch your team and be unable to contribute anything on the pitch.

After the season I had last year, just as I was starting to find my feet in the Premiership, it's hard to miss out on so much.

The gaffer is 34 but he looks more like 54 with everything that is happening

I've been to every home game but I missed a lot of away games because I was on crutches and couldn't travel, but I've been at Vicarage Road trying to gee up the boys.

Everyone is still positive and the gaffer is trying his best to make things happen.

I've taken the opportunity to get involved in my coaching badges too, I thought I'd try and do as much as possible while I had the time and I've nearly finished Level Two.

I was always going to do it, it's great that the PFA give us the chance to do these courses because they cost a lot of money.

We are very privileged as footballers to have the opportunity to do this sort of work and I'm keen to learn about coaching.

The gaffer will tell you himself that he is learning all the time. He's been in a difficult position before, when he took over and Watford were near the bottom of the Championship.

But he sees this as more of a long-term plan for the club and he wants to make Watford a top-10 Premiership outfit by 2010.

606: DEBATE Can Marlon King save Watford? BBC Sport's Jonathan Stevenson 606: Have your say

The sale of Ashley Young raised money and the gaffer's been criticised for not bringing in recognisable Premiership stars, but he dosn't want to go and spend recklessly and end up in debt and with a huge wage bill.

He's 34 but he looks more like 54 with everything that's happening at the moment!

The most important thing is that the chairman and the board appreciate what he's done for the club, they believe in him and he believes in them, so you can only go one way if that's the case.

They are building something here. We aren't at the same level as most clubs in this league so we have to be realistic - high-calibre players don't want to join a club at the wrong end.

But the gaffer's building for the next 5-10 years, not just tomorrow. Everyone wants to be in the Premiership, but sometimes you must take one step back to go forwards.

I know things haven't been going that well at Watford, but it's always important to keep team spirit up and keep that bond tight. Just because I can't play, doesn't mean I don't have a role in that.

We've got a lot of youngsters in the changing room. When you're not playing you can see things others don't, so I'm able to get close to people to try and give a helping hand if I can, maybe just some advice.

Will Hoskins is a young striker who has just come in and Darius Henderson has worked his socks off all season long and if I can help these boys at all I try to do so.

We've always had a good spirit, the gaffer's a big believer in that. We have lots of meetings and quite a few of the boys go out together, so there's always a lot of stick flying around.

It's important because when you're not doing so well in the league it can affect you off the pitch, so it's important to stay together and keep believing.

We've won a couple of games recently and wins always help the mood, I don't care who you are. It helps breed confidence and a good atmosphere, too.

Until it's mathematically impossible, there will always be hope we can stay up. If we thought we were already down there'd be no point turning up on a Saturday.

I'd settle for scoring the goal that keeps Watford in the Premiership. You have to keep believing.