FANS BACK LUCKLESS RAITH STAR

Luckless Lewis Vaughan admits he struggled to contain his emotions when Raith Rovers fans embarked on a minute’s applause in his honour.

Vaughan, 25, is coming to terms with rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament for the fourth time, ending his campaign.

The mercurial marksman has now suffered the devastating damage twice in each knee and will go under the knife in the final week of October.

Vaughan recently penned a new contract until 2025 and the Stark’s Park club – and its fans – will continue to support the frontman in his bid to get fit and firing once again.

That was underlined during the recent fixture against Forfar Athletic, when the supporters gave Vaughan, who was in the stands, a raucous reception in the 10th minute – mirroring his squad number.

“It meant a lot to know that the fans were thinking about me and supporting me – it was amazing,” said Vaughan. “I had to keep it together a wee bit!

“It’s brilliant to have the fans behind me and know they have stuck by me.

“Not many clubs, and not many fanbases, can say they have stuck by a player who has done four ACLs, so it’s a massive, amazing gesture from the club and the fans.

“I appreciate it and without them it would be hard to come back from one ACL, never mind four.”

After specialist consultation, Vaughan has been given a positive forecast regarding his hopes for a full recovery.

The gruelling rehabilitation programme will begin following the procedure next month and Vaughan – all too familiar with the process – is a man with the mental strength to complete the journey.

“I’m feeling OK. I’m off the crutches, I’m able to walk and put a bit of weight through it (the knee),” Vaughan told Raith TV.

“In the short term, it’s about getting my leg as strong as possible before I get the procedure done.

“I’m getting the operation done toward the end of October – it’s pencilled in for roughly October 25 and I’ll try to keep myself ticking over until then.

“The main thing for me is just getting the knee fixed and we’ll take it from there.

“The end goal is to get back playing football again. There aren’t many players who can say they’ve come back from four ACLs, so hopefully – long term – I’ll be back playing.”