Everything Hurlford United do this season is for Will Graham.
Manager Darren Henderson says there’s a united front at Blair Park – and all that matters is giving support to their player who suffered bleeding on the brain last month.
He had to be taken off during a friendly against Maybole before being transported to Kilmarnock's Crosshouse Hospital where they spotted the serious issue.
He was then moved to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he had surgery.
Boss Henderson admits there was a massive relief when they heard the news he was back home following the operation.
He told the Kilmarnock Standard: “It has affected a lot of us, it’s certainly affected me more than anything I’ve ever been involved in in terms of football.
“I went to see Will when he got home, he has his phone now so I am able to communicate with him every day. It has been really tough for everyone, the great thing, though, is he’s still with us and he’s on the mend.
“He is one of the fittest boys I’ve ever came across, in terms of his diet and the way he looks after himself, he is a specimen of a boy and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s still with us.
“He needed all that strength to get through the operation, he still has a long way to go, but fingers crossed and we are praying he makes a full recovery.”
Henderson continued: “I’ve not had him too long, but he’s a star for me.
“He will be going away with his parents for a few months to get rehab, so football is the last thing on anyone’s mind.
“I just want him to get better and be back to normal. If he decided he ever wants to play again then great, but it’s all about getting healthy again.
“Saying that, knowing Will, if he has a chance to play again then he will do it, he’s that type of boy he’s so determined.
“His family have been fantastic with us, they’re keeping us updated all the time.
“It’s going to be a rebuilding job for Will, but knowing Will like I do, if anyone can get back to full health then he can.”
Henderson has been blown away by the support for Graham at games and on social media.
He said: “It’s incredible the response that there has been.
“Two days after it happened I went to watch a local football game and there was a queue of people standing waiting to ask me how Will was.
“I had texts and phone calls from players and managers in our own league which was just great.
“There was boys who I haven’t played with for 20-30 years who were texting and phoning asking about him.
“He’s not just a really good footballer, he’s a really good lad and that shows with the response he’s had, everyone is praying for him.
“We just need to keep our fingers crossed, he’s due a bit of luck. He’s not had much luck in terms of injuries, hopefully Lady Luck is on his side this time.
“But all we wanted was that he’s still here with us, he’s getting better and that’s the main thing.”
Henderson admits playing on as normal is tough to do – but he says Graham wouldn’t want it to be any other way.
He said: “It’s hard focusing on football. On a personal level I’ve dealt with the death of my parents and grandparents, so I’ve been through struggles, but this was also a struggle for everyone.
“It happened on the Wednesday night and my first thought was to cancel the game with Stranraer on the Saturday.
“But we played, the only reason we did was because his dad told us that’s what Will would have wanted, it would upset him if we didn’t play on his account.
“The first text I got on Saturday morning before the Beith game, it shows what kind of boy he is, he’s not worrying about himself he’s thinking about Hurlford.”
He added: “It’s affected the players, I have been quieter at training. I’m sure people have noticed that.
“We have started fine, we got a draw against Rob Roy and we were very good against Beith.
“But we are struggling to deal with it, but we have to. Everything we do is for Will, we just need to keep going, it’s all for him.
“If Will is ever going to make a recovery then we need to make sure we’ve got a team that’s doing well for him to come back to.”
Henderson admits the injury has stuck with him since it happened – and it got to the point he was doubting himself as a manager.
But consultants have confirmed it was an undetected issue that Graham has been dealing with for a long time.
Henderson said: “I’ve been involved in football for a long time, I have seen bad injuries and boys having to quit through injuries.
“But this sticks with me. To witness it on a pitch in a game you’re involved in.
“The thing is you start doubting yourself, I struggled with it for a few days and looked at myself. Did I see signs before the game? Should I have seen signs?
“But apparently it was something that was underlying, it was nothing to do with the game. It was something that was ticking away inside, eventually something was going to give.
“The consultants reckon it’s something he’s had for a while and no one has detected it, but they assure us it wasn’t a head knock.”
He added: “We are fortunate that we’ve got a really good physio who got him off the pitch straight away.
“You could tell straight away something wasn’t right, but we actually thought it was maybe something to do with his sugar levels as he was dizzy.
“When we got the news I was shocked and stunned; a boy who did a warm-up and played excellent for 30 minutes, it’s just so mad.
“It has been an eye-opener for us all, he’s always getting bumps and knocks, we thought he’d be fine when he went down.
“But when he came and sat next to me he couldn’t feel his left side, his speech was slurry, so I knew something wasn’t right.
“But as I keep saying, he is still with us. When I went to visit him he was still cracking jokes!
“I’d be worried if he wasn’t like that, we will be there for him and he knows that.”
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
