Gordon told me not to call time on career early
Crocked Craig Forsyth has revealed a heart to heart with Scotland gaffer Gordon Strachan will help prolong his career.
The 28-year-old has appeared four times for his country, the last of which turned out to be his first competitive start as Scotland drew 1-1 with the Republic of Ireland in Euro 2016 qualifying.
It was a tough night in Dublin for the Derby County left-back, thrown in to try and combat the physical presence of Jon Walters only for the big striker to net Ireland’s opener.
But Forsyth is adamant he can return to the level that saw Strachan give him the nod in June 2015.
First of all he has to get back to full fitness for his Championship club. A cruciate ligament injury has kept him out since August.
But after a message of support from Strachan, he hopes to win more caps.
Forsyth said: “I received a lot of nice messages from people within the game, guys I’ve played with and against over the years.
“Gordon also phoned me. He knew it would be hard for me to take the second time. But he just said I had to do things properly and come back as fit as I can be. One of the important things he told me to do was add the time I’ve missed out on recently to the end of my career.
“That’s something I’ve taken on board and it was great to hear from him. I really appreciated the call.
“Before the first injury I was playing the best football of my career and coming into my peak years as a player.
“I had started in Dublin for Scotland and felt I was really progressing.
“Unfortunately two seasons have now been taken out of my hands.
“Injuries are part of football – I just need to make sure when I come back I’m ready to go again.
“Of course I want to get back to playing for Scotland. But I have to prove to myself I can do it before anyone else right now.
“Then Derby will be my first priority. Only after I’ve done that will I think about Scotland again.
“I have to do this in stages and not get too far ahead of myself. The goals I’m setting have to be ones I’m happy with.”
It’s the question every footballer must dread asking themselves.
The prospect is even more daunting when it’s through no fault of your own and you’re just 27 years old.
That’s why it feels like a shiver goes down the spine of Craig Forsyth every time he talks about it.
Last August, after suf fering a second snapped cruciate ligament in the space of 10 months against Aston Vi l la, the Derby County and Scotland left- back queried whether he’d kick a ball again.
He’d missed more than half the previous season after falling awkwardly in a Championship clash with QPR only to feel a pop in his knee again on his third game back.
Of course he knew loads of players who had come back from that injury to excel again.
But doing it twice? He wasn’t so sure.
And yet with the support of surgeons, physios, family, Rams boss Steve McClaren and Scotland gaffer Gordon St r a cha n , Forsyth is on the road to recovery – again – and focused on returning next season.
He told MailSport: “I felt ready to come back this season after eight months out. We’d done everything correctly, I was happy with it as were the surgeons.
“There was no indication at all that suggested any weakness or that it might go again.
“When you get embroiled in training and games again you think, ‘ Yeah, this is it, I’m back’.
“So when it went again it was a real kick in the teeth.
“I had gone most of my career without having any type of injury so to suffer two like that in the space of 10 months was a bitter pill to swallow.
“It wasn’t a tackle against Villa that day. There were bodies close to me and someone knocked my knee just before I put my foot on the ground.
“It was knocked inwards but at the same time I was bumped from behind. Those two movements clicked together and caused the cruciate to snap.
“There was no pain that time. It wasn’t my ligament in there so there’s no nerve. Sure, I felt the popping again – but no pain. I didn’t think I’d done it – it felt alright to me.
“But I tried a little jog and knew something wasn’t right. The next day it felt fine, I walked up and down stairs.
“But when the scan results came back it was bad news.
“Initially I did wonder whether I’d ever get back after doing it twice. That first day I asked myself, ‘Is this me done?’
“But I had to quickly get that notion out of my head.
“If you have those thoughts lingering it will delay your recovery because it’s