Never mind our league struggle.. all that matters now is Trev gets better
MOTHERWELL v ABERDEEN Stunned Robbo says keeper’s health scare puts Well woes in perspective
STEPHEN ROBINSON last night admitted Trevor Carson’s serious health scare puts Motherwell’s football woes in perspective.
The keeper was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder after being rushed to hospital on Wednesday night and will be out of action for an indefinite period.
The potentially deadly nature of DVT – a blood clot in a vein – has shocked the 30-year-old’s team-mates who will try to put their worries aside today to take on Aberdeen in his absence.
But Robinson insisted no matter the result or the bearing it has on Well’s precarious position in the bottom four, his players have been given a stark reminder of football’s place in life.
He said: “It was a shock. Footballers are put on a pedestal and aren’t human beings in most people’s eyes. But they are and this puts things into perspective.
“Trevor has a young family, he’s just had a new baby, so football goes into the background. You just want to make sure that health-wise he’s 100 per cent OK.
“He was away with Northern Ireland during the week and he had pains that were abnormal.
“He obviously had problems with his shoulder before so we all thought it was that. But when he came back he was still having the problems and one of our medical staff, Davie Henderson, wasn’t happy with it at all and wanted him to go to the doctor.
“He had a lot of pain and ended up in Wishaw General.
“The staff up there have been fantastic with him. We have to give them a mention for how well they have treated him – the diagnosis was excellent.
“He’s worried obviously. It’s not something you expect as a fit young lad and a professional footballer. But he’s OK.
“He’s in good hands and now it’s about getting Trevor treated and getting him back as quickly as we possibly can.
“There isn’t a timeline on that at the moment though. His health is the most important thing. As long as he is OK then we will worry about the football side of things further down the line.”
Carson’s absence will hand Mark Gillespie his chance to shine after signing from Walsall in the summer. And Robinson has every faith in the 26-year-old.
The Fir Park boss said: “It’s obviously a very unfortunate thing for Trevor but Mark has waited patiently for his chance.
“I signed two No.1 goalkeepers because I thought Trevor may leave in the summer. That was my reasoning behind signing Mark because he has played over 200 games at a good level.
“I’m really confident in him. There’s very little between the two goalkeepers. Trevor had the shirt because he was my No.1 and had done brilliantly the season before. But Mark gets his chance now and I’m confident he’ll step up and take it.” Robinson will be in the home dugout today despite being sent to the stand during the 7-1 rout off Rangers before the international break.
Having not heard anything from the SFA in the wake of his furious reaction to Craig Thomson sending off Carl McHugh at Ibrox, it appears the beaks have opted to spare him further punishment.
But he has enough to worry about already with Carson’s health scare the latest in a string of strange injury woes.
He said: “We’ve got a blood clot, a tendon injury for Chris Cadden that’s come from a freak landing, Craig Tanner whose patella snaps when nobody is near him, Charles Dunne who has a groin injury no one has ever heard of – we get the strangest injuries ever.
“None of them are muscle injuries or from training. Cads is a tendon injury – which is a really strange one – and he could be out for a number of weeks.
“Charles is back in full training but we have a run of seven games before Christmas and want to make sure he is 100 per cent right for that. We won’t take a chance on him this week but we’re hoping he’ll be ready to go for the Livingston game.
“I’d rather have him for the next 10 games than one then put him back to square one again.”