Arsenal forward Theo Walcott will not set himself any ambitious goals as he plots a steady return to full match fitness.
Walcott, 25, made his first start in a year in the FA Cup third-round tie 2-0 win against Hull, and produced a few positive runs behind the defence despite lacking a finish in the penalty area.
With his rehabilitation now almost complete -- first from the serious knee injury which shattered his World Cup dreams last summer, and then a groin problem sustained on international duty with England in November -- Walcott feels achieving small targets can help make the biggest difference.
"I like to work week by week, so I forget about the big picture and the nine months [out]. Week by week, hitting the goals and when you have achieved that, you can feel good about hitting something else," Walcott said on Arsenal Player.
"You need to just come into training with a smile on your face, enjoy it and that's all you can do. I remember when I had one of my injuries before, I came in down in the dumps and rehab seemed to take so much longer.
"You don't want that, you want to come in and feel like you're doing something each day. Even though it might be the same things at the start, you benefit when it comes to the end of it."
With both Danny Welbeck, who has been out with a thigh injury, and Olivier Giroud, serving a three-match suspension, set to be available for Sunday's encounter against Stoke, Walcott could again find himself back on the bench, which could also include German playmaker Mesut Ozil for the first time since October after his knee problem.