Callum Slattery never doubted he would return from his ACL hell – after watching his old Southampton mate Nathan Tella fight back from the same injury to become a Bundesliga champion.
The Motherwell midfielder made his first appearance in 369 days when he climbed off the bench in the 85th minute of Sunday’s 2-0 win over Aberdeen. That ended a year of pain and frustration after a freak training ground incident left him with serious ligament damage in his knee.
Those three letters ACL are among the most dreaded for footballers. But Slattery had seen Tella fight back to win a move to Bayer Leverkusen and knew it wouldn’t spell the end. He said: “I’ve had friends in football who have done their ACL.
“I played with Nathan Tella who did his and I spoke to a couple of lads in this league who’d done it, they’d also been operated on by the same surgeon. It was just conversations around the knee and once the surgery was done that was me into the rehab.
“So, it’s not that uncommon an injury. I spoke to a few of the lads and they all managed to come back from it. They all said the same thing. It was just to keep the head and focus on what I was doing, that I’d get back.
“Sunday was a good feeling. Just to be back out there with the boys, I’ve not had that feeling in a long time. Just everything about it, putting the kit on, having the fans around, an opposition team. Yes, it was a great feeling. And the reception I got was brilliant.
“I’ve learned that I’ve got the mental strength to come back from it. I know how tough it is to spend that length of time in the gym and rehab, seeing specialists and even talking about coming back from it.”
Slattery’s deal is up in the summer but Well have an option to extend it by a year and boss Stuart Kettlewell reckons the 25-year-old can “develop into one of the best stand out midfielders in this league”. Slattery added: “Thinking too far ahead is probably not something I want to do. It’s about being relaxed and enjoying being back out on the pitch.
“The staff, the lads, everyone’s been fantastic. The manager, especially. He’s spoken to me all the way through my injury, always keen to know how I’m getting on. He doesn’t have to do that, he’s got enough to deal with on the team and games at the weekend. I’m looking forward to getting back match fit, getting out there and repaying him.”
Slattery’s injury hell began this time last year when he broke down after a routine training ground challenge. He said: “I definitely remember the pain. There wasn’t much to it at all, it was just one of those freak incidents. It was a tangle of legs.
“I knew instantly that something had happened. I had to take the medicine and deal with it there and then, put it behind me and get on with it.
“It was the pain, the sound of it, just the feeling in general. You know as a footballer, as you’re out there every day, that something’s not right. I knew straightaway as soon as it happened.
“It is what it is. It happened and you can’t stop it from happening, it’s that type of injury. The lads around the place, the staff…I think the spirit around the place this season has been top drawer.
“When you’re out for a long period it’s important that you still feel a part of it – and I’ve definitely had that feeling. So, yes, it’s been good to finally get back out on the pitch with the boys who I share the dressing room with every day.
“To be honest, Saturdays were my worst day. Just purely because I’m used to that routine of waking up on a Saturday morning and buzzing for a game. So, yes, I didn’t usually like sitting in the stand and watching. But I supported the lads the whole time. I came to every game, away games as much as I could and also go into the changing rooms and speak to the lads. To go from watching it to going back out on the park with them is a good feeling.”
Kettlewell will delay a decision on whether to include Slattery for tonight’s clash with Kilmarnock on the Rugby Park plastic pitch. But he expects the Englishman to be back at the top of his game soon.
He said: “I’ve been desperate to keep Callum Slattery here as long as I can. The club have been very good for him and he has been very good for the club. He’s had a significant injury but the club has looked after him very well. We wanted to get him back to full fitness and playing. We were keen to keep Callum last season.
“Now he is getting back to full fitness he is a player I have wanted here and one I have always felt could develop into one of the best stand out midfielders in this league. He is exceptional at handling the ball, has a great imagination and really good technique.
“There was a spell last season where I thought he was one of the standout players in the league. He created a role in our team himself by how he was playing.
“The injury was a setback but I don’t see it being one that he doesn’t recover from to find those levels again. I genuinely see him moving in that direction.”