Recovering Andy signs
Little hopes to be back playing soon
Andy Little has signed a new contract with Stirling Albion just two months after spending more than a week in hospital with a fractured skull and eye socket.
The 28-year-old former Rangers striker suffered the serious injuries in a training ground accident when his head connected with knee of a trialist and he was out cold for several minutes. However, he is thankfully now on the mend and is determined to return to action in the near future.
Binos boss Dave Mackay insists that the former Northern Ireland internationalist won’t be rushed but Little is hoping to be able to play a part in the early weeks of the Ladbrokes League 2 campaign.
He said: “I think the manager knows that I wanted to come back anyway but the good thing is that there will be that little bit of understanding because I got a bad one. I’m targeting not missing very much of the season, put it that way. I think the Betfred Cup will be difficult as it comes very quickly but the league season is what I’m targeting and I’ll just need to take it day by day and week by week until that point.
“The doctors don’t like setting timescales after a brain injury and that’s frustrating as a player, but it’s more about how you feel. I couldn’t run about and kick a ball about at the moment but I’m not far off.
“I honestly felt more determined to get back playing after about six or seven days in hospital when I got my head clear. I was in for 10 days in all and the first five were a blur. I had a lot of time to think and there were maybe people saying he wouldn’t play again so that made me more determined. This is a bad injury but I can recover fully from it – I shouldn’t have any issues at all.”
Little has had a tough couple of years due to injuries and joined the Binos in February – making his debut in a 1-1 draw at Arbroath – in an attempt to kickstart his career.
He said: “Last year was very strange. It was a transition year after 10 years of professional football. I got an injury with Bradford City at the start of preseason after leaving Preston and I then did a lot of training myself and with Partick Thistle.
“I felt I wasn’t ready for that level and the opportunity arose to come here and it felt right. When you go part-time it’s very different and this head injury is a crossroads for me. I either go full at it and train on Tuesdays and Thursdays and do extra on my own and try and get up the leagues with Stirling Albion or whoever or I stop playing and giving up is not an option.
“I’ve always been a decent trainer but there is a massive difference in being training fit and match fit and the reality is that I have not played enough football matches in the last three years.
“I want to be an important member of the team and get my confidence back because when you play at a high level but are sitting on the bench or in the stand you doubt your ability. I’m hoping that by dropping down a level I can become one of the main players here because there are good players and there is the potential to push for the league.”