Trevor’s No.1 priority was a return to Well’s top team
Carson can’t wait to put health scare and last term’s frustration behind him
THE Premiership might be about to come out of cold storage but it is nothing compared to the 19 months Trevor Carson has had to wait to become Motherwell’s No.1 again.
Deep vein thrombosis in November 2018 left him fighting for his career and on his return he was unable to dislodge the impressive Mark Gillespie, a target for Newcastle who has since quit Fir Park on freedom of contract.
Carson knocked back interest from St Mirren and Livingston to sign a new deal with Well as he was assured he’d be Stephen Robinson’s main keeper going into the new season.
And the Northern Ireland star said: “Ever since the manager confirmed our return date I have been working hard and towards June 15.
“I can’t wait until we get back. The older you get the more you dread pre-season but I know every footballer in Scotland will be desperate to get back.
“Personally, it has been a topsy-turvy couple of years and I am certainly going back with a far more positive mindset than I did last summer.
“Back then, I knew Mark had done well and was going to have the jersey and it was his to lose. I still looked forward to getting back because I’d been out so long.
“But it was hard knowing I would give my all but it was likely I would have to spend the season on the bench.
“This time I am going back, knowing my destiny is back in my own hands, which is great.”
Carson’s time at Motherwell has included the ultimate highs of cup finals, international appearances and a Celtic bid in addition to the lows of his health scare and the frustration of last season.
He said: “It’s as tough a 19 months as I’ve been through.
“I’ve been a No.1 goalkeeper since I left Sunderland. The past year has been even harder than the time I had out with the blood clot. It was hard because I knew I needed Mark or the team to go on a bad run and you don’t want that either!
“Mentally it was hard and that was why I spoke out in Mental Health Awareness week.
“I had bottled a lot of things up and I needed to speak to somebody. It was the best thing I did, to get everything off my chest. It is behind me and I can look forward now.”
The good thing for Carson is despite his lack of recent firstteam football he was still wanted by top-flight rivals St Mirren and Livingston on freedom of contract. However, he decided to re-sign with the Steelmen after Gillespie decided his future lay elsewhere.
Carson said: “The situation was the club offered Mark and myself contracts. I had spoken to a couple of Premiership clubs but the manager came to me and gave me an ultimatum to sign or he’d move on because Mark had decided to keep his options open.
“I was given 24 hours to make a decision and after discussing things with the family it was a no-brainer to stay at Motherwell.”
Carson joked coronavirus had cost him the chance of a start and said: “Lockdown came into place the night we were due to play Aberdeen.
“The manager had told me I’d probably start the next game against Kilmarnock.”
But now Carson can help Well build on last season’s impressive third-place finish – with the added bonus of a Europa League campaign to look forward to.
He added: “It won’t sink in until the draw is made. For a club like Motherwell it’s a great achievement. Hopefully we can put a decent run together.”
My destiny is back in my hands which is great TREVOR CARSON