We met up with Rob Jones who is starting his longest spell on the side lines in his career due to injury. He describes his frustration and how it has scared him.
Following on from the injury, what has this week been like for you?
“It has been strange really as you go into the meeting with the specialist with a desperation hoping for good news but unfortunately it did not come to that. I suppose it could have been worse news but to be fair I have had a good innings, as this is my 12th season in football. This is my first serious injury in that time and in that context you can say I have been lucky. Unfortunately I have to look at it with the knowledge I will probably miss three months of the season, which is harder mentally to take.”
When this injury happened on Saturday, did you think it was the same injury or worse?
“I knew it was bad as soon as I did it and I knew it was quite serious. I have not felt pain like that before accompanied by the loss of feeling in my arm. It was very scary to be honest as I had all sorts of things going through my mind. I am one of those people who normally just gets on with it but the fact that I came straight off indicated just how serious I knew it was. I now have to get on with it and you can look at it in lots of different ways as I am going to miss three months, which in some ways will be worse for my wife. I have my coaching to sort out and courses to do, so I have to use the next few months to my advantage. I know I will be an absolute nightmare to live with as I will miss playing football.”
Will Saturday’s be the worst for you?
“It will not really hit me until I know they are playing on Saturday and I know I cannot play. During the week you can take your mind off it by doing other things but Saturday is work day which is the be all and end all to me. You train all week with Saturday being the focus but it won’t be for me for a little while.”
As a player who leads, will it be hard to watch the games?
“I’m going to find it massively frustrating, as I am a leader not a follower. The boys look to me to give a bit of guidance and it will be difficult. On the back end of that we have a lot of characters in the dressing room with me not being included. It’s time for them now to stake a claim and galvanise the boys in the dressing room and drive them on the pitch. I’m not the best watcher of football so I will struggle to be at games as I find it hard to watch when I’m not where I want to be on the pitch. It drives me insane but for me now I have to be mentally strong and look after myself. I have to listen to my body, try to be selfish and do what is best for Rob Jones not other people. I have to accept it’s done now and I have to take it on board and deal with it.”
Will it be hard keeping a level of fitness ready for when you are back?
“I have now got 8 weeks of doing nothing what so ever, which means my fitness level will deteriorate quite quickly after 2 weeks. After two weeks of inactivity it will spiral down quite fast, so I have to manage that side of it by not drinking too much, eating the right foods and keeping an healthy balance. I think it will be plenty of walking which will be the main aim over the next few months. When I get the go ahead to restart training I will have to try and get my match fitness back which will be like having another pre-season with Ben Rome. How hard that is will depend how I manage what shape I come back in and how fit I am at that time. I may be out of football but I have to make sure I come back as strong as I can.”