Single-mindedness, call it a stubbornness not to be denied, is a trait footballers should have in their locker. But steely Stevie Mallan has been battle-tested in a way many of his fellow professionals never are.
From the farcical non-payment of wages during his time in Turkey with Yeni Malatyaspor to his current battle to rid himself of the most irritable of injuries. The all-action midfielder remains unbreakable amid the setbacks. Call it a defiance, where quitting isn’t an option, when staring down uncertainty on multiple fronts. And that innate instinct is still coursing through Mallan. The former St Mirren and Hibs star is a ray of positivity within his personal boot camp amid the fight to reignite his career.
Mallan’s personal maelstrom centres around a nagging foot issue that has stopped him from playing the game he loves since November. Plantar fasciitis, the bane of many professional and part-time athletes, is the ailment in question. A series of small tears in the tissue put him on the shelf then kiboshed multiple comeback bids. Now the 28-year-old – who lavished praise on the English PFA’s financial support since leaving Salford City as a free agent in the summer – is a well-kent face at the Renfrewshire gym he is calling home six days a week as he seeks to spark a comeback.
Speaking exclusively to MailSport , the former Scotland Under-21 star opened up on his injury and his steadfast refusal to give up. Mallan said: “If you have a full (plantar fascia) rupture you can be out for a year.
“If I had that then that would have been better for me. I have only had two and three centimetre tears. I was coming back from the one in November. It was torn again in February then again in May.
“I’m now recovering from the most recent one in May. It has been an absolute nightmare. Every specialist you meet will tell you it’s about time, you have to rest. But that’s time you don’t have and that is why I have a rehab programme I do every morning, Monday to Saturday.
“I have given myself until January. If I can get back sooner then happy days but I can sign with a club at any point. You need self motivation. You are not going to see a physio, or see all the boys, and you miss that on your own.
“When you are with a club you have time in the morning, breakfast with the boys. You see the physio, the manager – that is your motivation to get back fit. So that’s probably the toughest part.
“I’m in the gym at 9am. My wife is a teacher and we walk the dogs before she goes to school and I go to the gym. That keeps me going. I also help my friend Jack Haggerty with his one-on-one coaching company.
“It is tough, finding that motivation to be in a gym continuously. It is mind numbing at times, especially when you are doing the same rehab every day. I have recently started coaching and it has kept me going. It is really eye-opening when you work with kids. It has given me a spark again.”
Mallan is itching to overcome his injury and a return to Scotland is high on his agenda. But he brings a healthy dose of realism to his ongoing plight and what a return could look like.
He said: “I spoke to a few clubs, via my agent, over the summer. I had enquiries from English clubs and spoke to clubs in Scotland. They were asking the question – if I was fit.
“Because of my injury, no matter where I go, I will have to go on trial. No one will ever sign you when you are injured and I am not there yet.
“Gym wise, I’m really fit. Once I start running I will be fit. It’s an injury you should really offload but it is so hard to offload this. I have done everything for this. If I went into a club tomorrow they are going to run me, put me in training, bounce games and potentially a contract.”
Does Mallan view himself as a winter wildcard option for SPFL clubs to consider once he is fully fit? Again, he is quick to show his humility and make abundantly clear how much he is doing to end his time on the sidelines.
He said: “When you get to this point it’s just about playing. Money is a massive factor when you don’t have a club. If you have a lot of options you can base it off league position but when you get to this point, 28 years old, money is a factor – is it feasible? Can you travel there? I do want to be based back at home. I miss Scottish football.”
And Mallan – who possesses a knack for a screamer – has made clear to any interested parties that his spells in Turkey and England have only enhanced his game in recent years. He added: “I can play multiple positions. I bring free-kicks, that’s something every club looks for.
“I play central midfield and I have a goal in me from distance. I can play a couple of ways and hopefully that will be a good thing for me going forward.”