DAVID’S YEAR ON THE MEND
Rangers’cup win cheersThistle’s crocked McKean
David McKean admits watching his beloved Rangers reach the Scottish Cup quarter-finals cheered him up after breaking his KNEECAP in East Kilbride Thistle’s defeat to Rossvale.
The 29-year-old has been ruled out for over a year following the horror injury during Saturday’s 4-0 defeat in the Central District First Division clash.
McKean came off worse in a 50/50 challenge and was treated on the pitch for a half an hour before being taken to the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow.
The midfielder underwent surgery on Sunday morning to mend his shattered kneecap and was relieved to be out in time to see Rangers cruise to a 6-1 victory over Ayr United.
McKean, a frontline manager at the town’s Centre 1 tax office, said: “I was worried I was going to miss the Rangers game, but my operation was finished a couple of hours before it.
“That really cheered me up because the doctor has said it will be about a year before my knee will be back to the way it used to be.
“The main part attached to the tendons at the top was fine, but the bottom part of it was broken into pieces.
“I had the bits removed during surgery and then the bottom part of the kneecap was attached to the tendons again, so
now it’s a case of waiting to see what the physiotherapist says and what rehab I need to do.
“I didn’t feel much pain at the time because I was in shock. All through Saturday I didn’t really feel any pain at all, most of it has come after the operation.
“So it was good distraction to watch the game on my phone and it was a good result for us.
“I’d been looking forward to it all week because I don’t get to see much of them because I’m always playing on a Saturday afternoon.”
Doubles from Alfredo Morelos and Josh Windass plus strikes from Jason Cummings and Jamie Murphy helped Rangers come from a goal down to progress.
McKean was booked by referee Ross Birrell for the challenge that will see him sidelined until 2019.
But he hailed all those who assisted him after his injury.
He added:“The physio at Rossvale and the paramedics were great with me. They kept me calm because I was panicking a bit at the time. I looked down and saw my kneecap was not where it should be.
“Everyone at the hospital has been brilliant and made me really comfortable, so I’d like to thank them for that.
“It was a 50/50 challenge. There was no malice in it whatsoever from either player and I thought I won the ball, to be honest.
“Getting booked was the least of my worries at that moment.”