MAGPIES RALLY FOR STRICKEN STAR JEZ
RELIEVED boss Tim Sills vowed that Wimborne Town would rally round in support of teammate Jez Bedford following his ‘touch and go’ brush with a lacerated kidney.
Last Saturday’s match at Larkhall Athletic was abandoned in stoppage time when a collision left Bedford grounded and “drifting in and out of consciousness” having sustained a tear in the organ.
Magpies physio Billy Coleman and Larkhall counterpart Chelsie Hextall reacted swiftly to support the motionless Bedford and play was cut short until paramedics arrived.
Detailed examination showed he had been a whisker away from requiring surgery, sustaining a grade three laceration.
“It was pretty serious. Had it been a grade four then it would have required surgery,” Sills told The NLP.
Measured
“It was touch and go when they kept him in overnight to see whether it was leaking internally and thankfully it wasn’t.
“That is really positive and now it is a case of wrapping him up and giving him the support he needs.
“It was strange because it seemed more innocuous than someone who gets knocked out straight away or gets a broken leg. With it being an internal injury, no one realised the gravity of the situation until Billy got on there to assess him.
“Once he saw Jez was not with it and drifting in and out of consciousness, and that he had taken a hit in the abdominal area, he realised the seriousness of it and asked for the ambulance to be called.
“Once everyone was aware, everyone was measured and calm in their response and the good news is that Jez will be back at some point.
“This is not like any other injury where you can do your rehab, it is more delicate so we will be making sure we listen to the experts and that he is 100 per cent right before thinking about timeframes, and the boys will be fighting to make sure they perform well in his absence.”
Sills is optimistic that the freak incident will not have a lasting impact on his squad and says the focus is on ensuring that Bedford is kept involved in the Magpies’ promotion hunt while he recovers.
Mentality
“It is a very tight-knit group, they all get on very well and socialise together,” he added. “They all have a strong mentality, that is why we brought them in, I don’t have any fears that it will affect the group mentally in that respect.
“Hopefully it will galvanise us and give us that extra edge to perform well every week with Jez in our minds. We will keep him around the group and a part of things as much as possible.
“It is always frustrating for any player to be out for a prolonged period and even more so when it is something that you can’t necessarily see healing. It is important for us all to get around him but also for him to be around us to help to spur the boys on.”
Sills saved the last word for the two physios. “They were brilliant,” he added. “They stayed with him the whole time and I cannot speak highly enough of them both as medical professionals.”