Stef shoulders blame for ill-fated fives tourney

STEFAN McCLUSKEY says his doctor is in line for a present after giving him the gift of erasing a costly five-a-side kickabout.

The 31-year-old attacker has already managed more games this season for Forfar than he did in all of last term at Dumbarton.

McCluskey’s time at The Rock was cut short due to a shoulder op, which seemed inevitable from the moment he landed on it in the opening game.

In truth, he had needed it for three or four years, having struggled with it ever since an ill-fated crack at silverware that wouldn’t tend to make the CV.

He said: “Wee Steven Lawless, who plays with Motherwell, said to me one week, ‘Can you come over and play a fives tourney up the Pitz? I said, ‘Aye, no bother.’

“In the final I’ve gone to turn and the guy who was behind me, his head has got caught in my oxter and my arm has popped up the way.

“Soon as my arm came down, it just fell. Basically, I was holding my shoulder up. I knew, ‘I’ve done something bad with this.’

“They still blame me for getting beat in the final! The ambulance came within about five minutes – I was on gas and air before I knew it.

“I couldn’t move, I was screaming in pain.

“Thinking about it now, I wasted easily two years, I was never the same. The only reason I didn’t go for it [the op] is I knew I’d be out a long time.

“When that happened at Dumbarton, it was Jim Duffy who said to me, ‘No, just go and get your shoulder sorted, it’s been too long now.’ Since I’ve had it I feel like a different player. The doctor who did my operation, I’m back over with him on the 20th of this month, so you’ve just reminded me I need to give him a present.”

Raith beckon for McCluskey and Co today as Rovers defender Tom Lang hopes to get his season in full flow.

He picked up a knee injury at Clyde after signing a pre-contract at Raith. Lang said: “I don’t think many players have experienced that before – joining a club injured. But it’s in the past now.”