Scott Robinson admits the the prospect of not playing football for a year has been mental torture.
The Kilmarnock attacker hobbled off with a foot injury during Derek McInnes’ first game in charge away to Queen of the South way back at the start of January.
Little did he know that his earliest expected return date would be the end of December.
He suffered a unique injury to his plantar fascia, but rather than injuring it in the centre as is most common, he injured it on the side which caused the tendon to come off the bone.
In fact – his injury is so rare that the specialists he has visited haven’t seen anything like it.
The attacker still being out is certainly not for the want of trying, Robinson was back firing during pre-season training at Largs with his teammates, and thinks looked all set to be rosy.
But a flare up of his injury ensured he faced at least another five months away from action. But now he’s eyeing a return to action in time for the resumption of the campaign after the World Cup break.
He said: “It has been torture to be honest, a really tough time.
“Away back in January I injured my foot, it was really complicated and we weren’t really sure what it was.
“I thought I was back in pre-season, I was training at Largs with the boys and it was all going well, I had a full week at it.
“But I did the injury again and we were back to square-one with another five months out or whatever.
“I got the surgery and rehab is going well, hopefully we’ve nailed it this time.
“By the time I play again it’ll be nearly a year out of football, it has been really hard at times.
“If I get back it only makes me mentally stronger, I appreciate everything now, training, the lot. I don’t take anything for granted now.
“I’ll just be happy to play football again, it has been a really tricky injury.”
He added: “It was nothing, I basically rolled my foot on the Astro at Queen of the South.
“It’s not the greatest of surfaces, it’s nothing against plastic pitches obviously but I think it maybe hasn’t been relaid.
“My stud got caught and I torn the planter fascia, damaged my fat pad, bone bruising, everything.
“I knew right away it wasn’t great, but I didn’t think it would force me out for a year.
“You always hope it’s not as bad as it seems, but even the specialists I’ve worked with say they haven’t seen an injury like this.
“The surgery I had to get was a bit of a trial to be honest, so I need to hope it all goes well.
“Everything is going to plan so far, hopefully I can get back soon.”
Robinson has been using a specialist running machine designed by NASA in a bid to get him back to full fitness safely.
He said: “It’s an AlterG machine which helps people with serious injuries get back into running again.
“It takes the load off the joints and foot and solely focuses on running by only using so much of your bodyweight.
“It fills with oxygen so that it feels softer for you, it’s a weird sensation, it’s almost like running on the moon, in slow motion.
“But the more you progress the better it is, I’m at 85 per cent of my bodyweight now and they say when you’re at that stage you’re really close to getting back on the pitch.
“I hope to be back training on the pitch in the next month, and the aim is to be back when the boys get back training during the World Cup.”
Despite being out for nearly 10 months so far, Robinson has been an integral part of Killie’s season – as Derek McInnes has added him to the scouting team temporarily, with the attacker keeping an eye on future opponents.
And he says that’s been crucial to keeping him sane – and keeping his eye on the game.
He said: “I am really thankful to the manager, he said he’s been there himself with injuries and his manager at the time, who I think was Gary Megson at West Brom, had him doing similar and he really enjoyed it.
“It made the time much easier, so for him to keep me involved that way has been brilliant.
“I’ve properly bought into it, I think he expected me to write a few things down on a notepad, but when I am asked to do something I try and do it right.
“I’ve put a lot of effort into it, I study teams, watch clips back and write it all on the PC.
“I basically cover everything, I was up in Dingwall watching Ross County v Dundee United ahead of the cup game, I typed it all up and presented it to the manager printed off.
“He was a bit surprised I’d put in that much effort, he just wanted to keep me involved, but he seems to think my work is good.”
He added: “It can only help in the future, I love football and I’ve watched it all my days.
“I have been quite lucky, I’ve played a few positions and I think my knowledge of the game is decent enough, I think the manager trusts me in that sense.”
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