"In the last two years I’ve not managed to play much sport - it's not ideal for a PE teacher" - former Clach defender Struan Scott-Woodhouse opens up on his injury hell
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IT is often said injuries are part and parcel of football. For Struan Scott-Woodhouse it has been more like a game of pass the parcel — each new set of hands trying to work out what is at the centre of his injury nightmare.
His anterior cruciate ligament has been strained, stretched and now torn so badly that he has had to have muscle grafted from his patella to replace it.
The last time he set foot on a football pitch was against Rothes in April last year — his injury the one downside in Clach’s charge towards Highland League Cup glory.
The last 16 months have been a mixture of hospital visits, painful rehabilitation and a watching brief at Grant Street Park, as he itches to get out on the park again.
But the journey could have been a lot simpler for the former Caley Thistle youngster.
“I basically had to tear my ligament before I had the operation. Every time I’d injured it before I had to keep going to rehab and I found it wasn’t really working,” he said.
“I first injured it two years ago. I went to the first consultant who said the MRI wasn’t clear enough because swelling disrupted their view of the scan.
“They didn’t have evidence to say it was torn. I took about six months out then injured it again at the end of Easter last year.
“I tried to take part in pre-season training but it just wasn’t working.
“I went to the second consultant who said the first one essentially didn’t read my notes, and he sent me straight to the physio.
“I then had to wait another six weeks before I could see someone else. Once I got through to the right guy it was fairly straightforward because he does this kind of operation quite often.”
Scott-Woodhouse, originally from Drumnadrochit, finally had his operation in Easter this year and has been given a six month timescale for his recovery. The defender hopes to be back in action by Christmas but is without a club, having not been signed on at Clach since his injury.
The final straw, in that game against Rothes, could not have come at a worse time.
He was still in his probationary period at work and as a PE teacher, being unable to get involved in sport was a killer.
Millburn Academy was accommodating with his need for the operation this year, something Scott-Woodhouse is appreciative of.
“I had to take three or four weeks off work but they managed to find cover for me.
“It’s never great to take time off but they were fine with it.
“I’m 25 and in the last two years I’ve not managed to play much sport, which is not ideal for a PE teacher and someone whose life revolves around sport.”
Inevitably, battling against the frailties of your own body can take a toll mentally, as well as physically. His former Clach team-mate Ian Penwright spoke candidly earlier this year about his struggles with a persistent knee condition that affected his ability to walk, let alone play football.
Thoughts of relapses and breakdowns are difficult to banish from the mind, when you are constantly fretting about when the next setback might occur. Have I pushed myself too soon? How much strain can I take? Painful questions that Scott-Woodhouse hopes not to get the answers to.
“I’m only a couple of weeks into my rehab now and it’s difficult to put those thoughts to the back of your mind. It’s only going to get harder when more contact, changes of direction and intensity are brought into my rehab work.
“But hopefully I’ll keep getting stronger and my strength will overpower any weakness.
“I’ve been going to the gym at half six every morning before work and I know I’ve got it in me to get get physically fit again. But doing exercise you’re constantly thinking about the injury.”
Thoughts of calling it quits altogether from football had crossed his mind but the injury has not taken as great a toll as it would have on someone five or six years older.
Even though he is under no obligation to go down to Grant Street Park, he still finds himself there on a Saturday to help out behind the scenes.
He is involved with the Lily Loyals committee and sees himself as a Clach fan, not just a player.
He has an affection for the club which runs deeper than signing his name on a piece of paper and the focus is on getting himself ready for a comeback with Iain Polworth’s side again.
“I had a number of teams interested in me before I snapped my ACL, including an offer from Elgin City.
There’s not been anything since my operation, just a few texts from Highland League clubs. But I definitely hope to get back and play for Clach.
“I’ve known Iain for a while and he’s been asking me how I’m getting on, how my knee is. I’ve been involved with Clach for a good while now and I know the ins and outs of the club.
“When you see all the work the backroom staff and fans put in behind the scenes, particularly after they went through administration, it makes you want to help out.
“It’s frustrating but you get to see the game from a different point of view. The knee is always going to be sore but I can’t wait to come back. It’s all been off for the last two years, so it’s about time it went on again.”
