Hello and welcome to my latest Blog here on the Official Website.
I think the first thing to say is how gutted I am about the injury. It was a freak accident really and these things happen in football.
It's frustrating because I felt I was playing quite well in the game but what happened was one way to bring that to an end! We were losing 2-1 at the time so we were still in the game and I was fancying we would get a chance and I was hoping it would fall to me.
The way I landed was awkward and I heard a crack but I don't know if that was my ankle or just me hitting the ground! I have done my ligaments before but I wasn't in as much pain as I was in Tuesday night - I think all my weight came down on my ankle and that's a lot of weight!
The Physio James Haycock has told me it's a four to six week job and I'm going to try and aim for the four rather than the six but we'll see how it goes. I'm going to work as hard as I can to make myself available for the Christmas games but we'll wait and see what happens.
One thing is that I am in the best possible hands because James and Buster (Assistant Physio Ian Gallagher) are looking after me really well and they know exactly what to do to give me the best chance of getting back as quickly (and as fit) as possible.
I guess the positive is that I didn't do more damage. It was very swollen when I got back to the dressing room but thankfully it's not broken and now I'll get on with my recovery.
I think the rest of the lads will be having a weekend off because they were made to run hard in training today! I won't be off as I'll be in for treatment but I think the lads will benefit from a little break because they have been going hard at it since July really.
Obviously we'd have liked to have been in the FA Cup but we will make the most of the rest time this weekend and come back strongly next week.
And we'll need to be on our game at Carlisle on Tuesday night because they enjoyed an excellent result. From what I've seen and heard Graham Kavanagh has been doing wonders in the midfield there as you'd expect from a player who has international experience. It won't be easy but hopefully we'll give a good account of ourselves and get a positive result.
On Wednesday night me and Leon went to the Corner Flag pub to do a talk-in with the fans and I have to say it was a good night! I hope the fans that were there got a good insight in to what me and Leon are all about and saw the different side to us and how we're trying to get this Club going in the right direction.
Maybe when they're booing us next time for a bad pass they will think back to that night and remember we're human and make mistakes!! Ha!
Just picking up on the topic in my last Blog, word is continuing to spread about Pools in Ireland and I think this Blog is going to re-produced on the Crosshaven AFC website - a young team who I helped coach back in Ireland.
It's great publicity for the Club over there and it just shows how the interest has picked up with the Club signing a few players from over there. Hopefully that will continue.
I know Crosshaven are picking up some good results in recent times but I have to say the standard of coaching has dropped since I left! When I go back there in the summer I'll have to get involved and they'll enjoy a better time than the gangster that's doing the work there now! Ha!
Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading and if you have any questions you can send them through to me at media@hartlepoolunited.co.uk
Denis.
