GARETH Isherwood hopes to be ready to race again by the start of next season as he battles back from breaking two vertebrae in a track crash last month.

The Manchester-based 24-year-old was in fine form racing for Stoke in the second leg of the National League play-off semi-final against Mildenhall on October 2.

But while leading heat two, the chain of his bike snapped and one of the following riders crashed into him.

The injury ended Isherwood's season and effectively scuppered Stoke's play-off title hopes too.

Isherwood was able to attend Stoke's end-of-season awards night, but admits he has a long way to go to regain full fitness.

He said: "I'm moving about a bit better, but I still have to take things steady.

"I have to see the doctors again, but once I get the OK to start doing physio I think that will help me.

"I know I am going to be like this for a couple of months or so, but the hope is I will get back on the bike and then work hard over the winter to get back in the team.

"It was a bad knock, but not something that will put me off racing.

"I was getting back to something like my best form at the time, so I'm just gutted it happened when it did."

Recalling the incident, Isherwood said: "I made the gate off four and was leading down the back straight when the chain snapped and jammed the bike solid.

"Two riders managed to miss me, but the third one didn't and I got caught fairly hard. I realised straight away that I had done something pretty bad.

"I hit the ground really hard and could hardly breathe for a couple of minutes. Then the pain in my back kicked in.

"The medics were very good, and as soon as I said I had pain in my spine they did whatever they had to do before I was taken to hospital in Cambridge.

"Even though I was wearing a back protector, it didn't save me because my body compacted on impact.

"I was caught sideways and thrown off sideways. My face hit the ground hard, but my body was twisted sideways, fracturing the T5 and T6 vertebrae.

"When I was told I was likely to be out for 10 to 12 weeks, my first thought was about not being able to ride in the National League Knockout Cup final.

"That's all I could think about, and it was so frustrating to miss that after all the hard work of the season."

Stoke went on to lose the KO Cup final, again to Mildenhall, and Isherwood added: "We're all disappointed by the way the season ended.

"But I'm feeling a little bit better as each day goes by, and I'd just like to thank everyone for their support since the accident."