McIntyre heading back to his best

SCOTLAND Under-21s defender Tom McIntyre has revealed he was so determined to make an impact at his club that he played on with a fractured skull. The Reading defender is with Scot Gemmill’s side for tonight’s crucial Euro 2021 qualifier in the Czech Republic, where the youngsters are looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the group after two wins and a draw so far. The highly-rated McIntyre made his debut with the English Championship club last December only to suffer a horrific early head injury. But the 20-year-old was so eager to impress he shrugged it off and played on. It was only later he discovered the full extent of his injury. ‘Fifteen minutes in, I got a nasty knock and I went down and felt my head,’ he revealed. ‘It felt sunken, which was odd. The physios came on and all of a sudden it swelled up quite big. ‘They went through all the questions and I managed to pass that. But I was in a bit of trouble and it was really quite painful. ‘I had a scan and was told I’d fractured my skull at the front of my head. It was my debut so there was nothing going to stop me from playing. ‘I was out for three months. I had an operation and had my head cut open from one side of my ear to the other and my face was pulled forwards with the skin. ‘They put two metal plates above my eyebrow. I had 45 staples across the top of my head and looked like Frankenstein. ‘I was worried and we had to speak to the surgeon to see if it affected my brain.’ McIntyre has since recovered and has featured for Reading, who are in the relegation zone and managerless after Jose Gomes’ sacking. ‘The first header after I came back was a bit unnerving. It did knock me back a bit,’ said McIntyre. ‘It was tough to take because for years I’d wanted to play in the Reading first team so to finally do it then be out was one step forward and a few back. But I’ve done alright this season.’