Adam & Bobby

With two of our young Academy players having suffered long term injuries at an important time in their career, MKDSA spoke with them recently to find how they cope with this, and also what part the Club and supporters can play in helping them through this difficult time. Physios Rebecca Brown and Tony Flynn were also on hand to add a few words.

For those who may not know, can you tell us what the actual injuries are that you both sustained?

Bobby: With me it was the cruciate ligament which was partially torn and also the cartilage was damaged. It happened at the Coventry match, and I twisted as I went round one of their players. It was fortunate that it happened right in front of Becky, so I was able to get help immediately.

Adam I have 80% damage to my cruciate ligament, flipped cartilage over, torn medial ligament and fractured fibular.

Bobby, you flew over to USA for treatment, can you tell us more about that?

Yes, the surgery I had there, healing response, was a relatively new procedure. I was anxious to avoid reconstruction if possible as I had already been out for some time, and fortunately my injury was suited to this particular type of surgery. The process involves inserting micro fracture holes, and what this does is allow the blood to flow out and then clot. This effectively pulls the cruciate ligament back into place and after some discussion I felt this was a better option for me than reconstruction.

Adam, are you also planning a trip to USA

No, my treatment is all being taken care of here in Milton Keynes.

Inevitably, the question will be asked whether Bobby was given preferential treatment for his injury, how would you answer that?

Rebecca You cannot make comparisons, the two injuries are totally different although they have certain similarities. Bobby’s injury was the result of a twist, whilst Adam’s is an impact injury. Adam will almost definitely need reconstructive surgery.

Tony "Firstly there has been NO preferential treatment on the behalf of ANY player whether a first teamer or the youngest scholar. I, as an, experienced physiotherapist in professional football always seek the specialist who has the best knowledge of the INDIVDUAL injury. All injuries are specific and individual.

With reference to the situation of Bobby and Adam let me explain some things.

Bobby                                                               Adam

Injury

Partial tear of ACL                      Rupture of ACL,MCL and medial meniscus

Treatment

Healing response                           Reconstruction of whole knee

As you can see both injuries are different. In this country surgeons would have wanted to reconstruct both knees. In fact it was arranged that Bobby would have a reconstruction before I read about the healing response procedure. Only one surgeon in the world carries out the healing response which involves repairing the knee without reconstructing it. The reason Bobby was suitable for this was that his tear was top end of the ligament and the ligament was not torn right though, the ideal situation for it to be repaired via healing response. Why make the boy have a reconstruction just because NO ONE in this country does the other procedure? The reconstruction of the knee is a standard procedure that is performed the whole world over including Milton Keynes.

One final point on the preferential treatment issue, since Adam was first injured, "due to the nature of his injury" he has had a physiotherapist assigned to him and him alone everyday where as ANY other injured player including Bobby and first team players have to be treated along with all the other injuries." What I can say quite positively is that the Chairman is prepared to send anyone anywhere for the treatment they need, there is no doubt about that. Adam is getting the best treatment possible.

Adam: I agree, I have been amazed at the response from the Club. Everything has been done so quickly, I was in hospital for my first operation within days and was expecting to wait a lot longer for it. And Becky and Tony are great, they are there for me virtually 24 hours a day and are helping me in everyway possible.

So what stage are the injuries at now, and when will Adam have further surgery?

Bobby I started to prepare myself to come back straight after the op, I had a daily exercise programme. I have just started to kick a ball again and have joined in warm up for the past couple of days. Hopefully within the next week I will be able to try some light passing moves, and will build up from there. The hardest thing is to keep motivated, training with the lads is a lot different to walking on a treadmill or sitting on an exercise bike staring at a dial, which is incredibly boring. It is much harder then to reach a target unless you have a lot of self motivation Within the next couple of months I am looking to be back in full training.

Rebecca: We will find out for sure if Adam needs Ligament reconstruction in about 4 – 6 weeks and the recovery time is 9 – 12 months. He needs to have good muscle strength for the operation and that is what we are working on now to prepare him. He is doing resistance and other light exercises on a daily basis and is coming on well.

Adam: Becky has helped me a lot with the type of exercises I need to do. I am working hard and doing everything I can to improve my strength. I was at the gym earlier on today, and have just been in the Physio room with Becky for more treatment.

Did you both realise the seriousness of your injuries when they happened?

Bobby I knew it was bad, my knee just didn’t feel right, the pain seemed to just keep getting worse and I remember that Adam was actually the first one to come and see me in the Physio room. To be honest, at first I didn’t know at it was as serious as it turned out to be as it didn’t swell up too much in the begining Later on it did swell a lot more,. and I had to have an MRI scan and an Arthroscopy before the full extent of the injury was known.

Adam I knew straight away, like Bobby says the knee just feels strange and the pain keeps growing. I couldn’t stand on it and as I was stretchered off I knew it would be a bad injury.

As you are both so young, how important is it for you to have family around, Adam you are living away from home has that been hard for you?

Bobby: I have an advantage obviously with living in Milton Keynes and my family so involved in football and MKDons. The day it happened though was the day when the helicopter landed on the pitch at the NHS for an injured player, so my dad and mum were involved there. My sister, Lauren, was great. She came with me to the hospital and fussed over me at home, getting me extra pillows and making sure I was comfortable. I was really glad she was there for me.

Adam: The Club let me go home before I had the op, and it was good to spend that first few days with my family. My parents were both obviously very upset but I think it hit my dad the hardest. Although I miss them, it has actually helped my recovery more coming back here. When I was at home I was constantly worrying about what I should and shouldn’t be doing, if my leg was in the right position, all sorts of little things. Now I am in Milton Keynes, I have Becky and Tony always there to ask and advise me, as well as setting me out a planned programme for my recovery. It has helped me to keep focused, and with all the other lads around as well I don’t get time to be negative.

So how important have the other players been in helping you both?

Bobby: Very important. I had so much support from all of them, not just the Academy but reserves and first team as well.

Adam: The same for me. Aaron Wilbraham from the first team actually organised a whip round from the other first team players and they bought me a PSP and games, which has been really brilliant. As well as giving me something to take my mind off things, it was a really good feeling to know that they were all interested in me and I am very grateful for that. Danny has also called me, and so has Pete.

Have you been able to help each other?

Bobby: It has helped me to know that I can be there to offer Adam advice about some of the silly questions you may not like to ask other people, things like how do you get to sleep with the brace on, and other practical problems. And of course we can both talk together and encourage each other, and hopefully with me nearing the end of my recovery Adam will know what is possible.

Adam: Yes, it is good to have Bobby around to talk to. We can discuss things that others don’t really understand.

Has Alex Tapp been able to offer any support?

Bobby: Tappy has been amazing, he has helped so much. He has had to come back twice from long term injuries and if he can do that it inspires me because hopefully I will only have to do it once! He is always there, on the phone or in person to encourage and offer advice. I have a lot of respect for him and can’t say enough about how good he has been to me.

Adam: Yes, Alex has been the same with me. It is good to know that he will take the time to speak and offer advice and like Bobby I look to his example. He has been through so much to come back twice, so it motivates me to put that effort in to get back as soon as possible. Bobby has helped me in the everyday things, but Alex helps me more long term because of his experience and his example.

Your injuries have come at a crucial time in your career for both of you, how has that affected you, and how do you keep mentally strong?

 

Bobby: It has been a difficult time, I am no longer part of the Academy but haven’t been able to fully be part of the reserves .I have looked on it as being part of both, and the hard part will start now when I have to get into training with players who have been together for a while and I am almost like the newcomer. It is going to be a challenge, there is no doubt about that, but it is something I am looking forward to. Whilst I have been injured I have had to keep positive, and I found watching matches has helped. I looked on it as a learning experience, trying to take things from what happens on the pitch to apply in my game when I am back. It is so different to be able to see from the stands what happens, why it happens and what you should do in situations. I also like to keep active, be involved and do things which is why many of you get to have a chuckle when I retrieve the balls that go outside the ground!

Adam: I am happy that I can look back and know that I was playing so well before it happened. That encourages me to think that I had maybe made my mark, and also that I can look back with no regrets. I hope that is the standard I will come back at and work from there. I have to say that mentally it was not easy at first. The first couple of weeks were very, very hard, but I have had to deal with that and accept what has happened. Like Bobby, I also am looking at matches and have also been doing video match analysis which has helped keep my mind focused. The FA Youth Cup on Tuesday was difficult for me, I had been so much looking forward to that all year and it was a big disappointment that I was not on the pitch. I did come and watch and that was not easy for me. I am glad that they all did so well, and am pleased for Sam (Baldock) getting 4 goals.

Becky: With a long term injury the players are helped by the support of everyone around them, but the right mental attitude has to come from within themselves. They have to remain focussed and keep strong. We are all here to support them in any way we can.

Bobby, you have only a few months to prove yourself. Have you given any thought to what you will do if you are not offered a contract?

Bobby : It’s not a nice thing to consider, but I have to be realistic. I may not be good enough in that time, and will have to make a decision then what to do. Like all the Academy players I have taken BTech in Sports and Exercise Science, and I have 2 A’s . I would keep involved with Football and consider Sports Management. I also may think about Physiotherapy, after my experience that may be a good option. Of course I hope it doesn’t come to that, I will be working hard to get into the team and hope I can do enough to get a contract.

How much have the Club, and academy helped you?

Bobby: It’s been fantastic, like I said everyone has been there the whole time. Nothing is too much trouble and there is total support.

Adam: Yes, the same for me. The Academy staff are excellent, and since I have been injured it has been such a boost to have so much interest from the first team, Danny and Pete as well, and of course the constant help from Becky and Tony. I still can’t believe how well I have been treated and how quickly the Club has arranged anything at all that I need, medically or personally.

How about the supporters, have they helped at all?

Bobby : Definitely. They have always come to me at matches and asked how I am, sometimes I have to admit it can get a bit tiring explaining the same thing over and over again, particularly at first when things were not so good, but I am happy to do that because if people are good enough to take an interest in me I appreciate that. Maybe now I will start to have more positive news to tell them , as I start to get back into training and progress from there. The response of the supporters has been fantastic, and I would like to thank everyone who has shown an interest in me.

Adam: I am amazed at the response from Supporters. One thing that really helped was when MKDSA sent me a get well card and posted that message up on your website. I was really down at the time as it had just happened, but reading the e-mails sent in made me realise that people had actually noticed me and knew who I was. That helped so much, which is why I felt I had to send a response.

What message would you send to supporters of MKDons about the Academy?

Bobby: The Academy is the future of MKDons, we need your support and involvement. The staff, the players, everyone involved in the Academy work so hard and it is a great asset to the Club.

Adam: It would be good if more of you could come to watch us at Woughton. Anyone who watched the FA Youth Cup will have seen that we play entertaining football, and we need your support. Every week we come out to the same faces, family friends and regular supporters with an occasional new face or two. It would mean a lot to the lads if they saw more supporters that they don’t know who had made the effort to watch them.

MKDSA wish both Bobby and Adam a full recovery and success in the future. Hopefully this interview will have given you all an insight into the not so glamorous world of the young players. Many of the 16 – 18 year olds we have in the Academy are coping with the pressures of living away from home for the first time, away from friends and family and having to deal with all sorts of problems. Bobby and Adam have obvious major injuries, but let’s not forget others who still have the usual problems and difficulties associated with that age group, plus family illnesses and other things to contend with that are not always public knowledge. The tremendous support shown by Mike Dove, Simon Dwight and the rest of the Academy staff goes a long way to helping them all adjust, but we should not forget the sacrifices and efforts made by our young Academy players. We can do our bit to repay them by getting there on a Saturday morning to show them the kind of support they all deserve.

MKDSA would like to thank Bobby, Adam, Mike Dove, Rebecca Brown, Tony Flynn and the Academy staff for their assistance in this Interview.