Fareham’s ex-Olympic star: I thought my career was over
Fareham’s prospects for the new Conference West campaign have received a major boost with the return of former Great Britain Olympian midfielder Niall Stott.
The club lift the curtain on their competitive league season in south Wales at Cardiff University this Sunday.
It will be 12 months ago to the day that Stott suffered a double break of his ankle and leg at Teddington – a serious injury that was to have a profound effect on Fareham’s 2019/20 season, culminating in relegation from the National South division.
The 39-year old was a member of the GB squad in the 2004 Athens Olympics and played for East Grinstead and Havant before joining Fareham three seasons ago.
Stott admits he thought the injury was a careerending one.
‘In all honesty, I didn’t think I would ever be back playing again. It’s the longest I have been out of hockey in my whole career. I’ve made quite a remarkable recovery. Now it’s good to be back playing again,’ he reflected.
‘I spent 11 weeks in a full cast and another six weeks in a moon boot. After that I was then on crutches with very light weight bearing through my foot and building the weight through my leg as time progressed.
‘I was allowed to start light training mid-July and build it up slowly and gradually. I
am still not back to full training yet and that will be a few months away yet.’
Having been sidelined for almost a whole year, Stott acknowledges it will take time before he can play a full part for Fareham.
‘I am nowhere near fully fit and that will take a lot longer. I am still doing rehab and prehab to get my leg as strong as possible and try to get to where I was before, but that is a long way off,’ he said.
‘I am just glad that I can be back on the pitch again in some capacity as that was looking unlikely at points during my injury/recovery.
‘I will be recovering for a long time and the journey is long, hard and slow.’