‘It looked a lot worse than it was’
Wellington Phoenix midfielder Chloe Knott left the pitch with blood pouring from her nose after she clashed heads with an opposition player while vying for a header in the dying stages of their 4-1 defeat to Western United last Saturday.
But despite initial fears from her coach and captain that she may have broken it, Knott said yesterday she was fairly confident she hadn’t.
Although the swelling has spread near her eyes, Knott said her nose wasn’t sore, and she expected to be available for the team’s trip to Melbourne to face defending champions Melbourne Victory this Sunday.
‘‘It’s not broken, I don’t think. It doesn’t hurt. I think it was more the shock of the impact,’’ Knott said.
The incident occurred in the 88th minute when Knott and Western counterpart Emma Robers jumped up to challenge for a header.
Knott won the race to the ball but copped a heavy blow to the nose from Robers’ forehead.
‘‘I wasn’t expecting to be hit in the nose and I knew I had been hit in the nose but I didn’t really feel pain,’’ she said.
‘‘I was trying to get back up but then I touched my nose and there was blood all over my hands so I thought ‘OK, this is not good’.
‘‘But I think it was more the blood that made me think I should sit down and get some assistance.’’
Knott passed a concussion test but Phoenix management played it safe and removed her from the game, even though they had used up all of their substitutions and could not replace her.
Knott said she considered herself ‘‘lucky’’ her injuries were only minor. ‘‘No stitches. I have a cut on my nose but it was just a little plaster [that was required]. I’m so lucky. I think it looked a lot worse than it actually was.
‘‘I need to check back in with the doctor and physio but I’m not in any pain and I don’t have any concussion symptoms, so I’m hoping I can be back as soon as possible.’’