Midfielder salutes physio ahead of York City
Peter Sweeney says it is “brilliant” to be back in the AFC Wimbledon squad after he thought his season had been ended prematurely once again.
The experienced midfielder (pictured) fractured a metatarsal in his foot during the match against Plymouth Argyle on 28 December and with a similar injury having curtailed his 2012/13 season, Peter feared history was repeating itself during this campaign.
However, Peter was fitted with custom-made orthotics to relieve pressure on the troublesome area in his foot and he told Dons Player that he owes his return to club physio Stuart Douglas.
Speaking at the training ground today ahead of the match against York City, Peter said: “When I got sent for an X-ray I was sitting there waiting and expecting the worst. When I was told it was a fracture again I thought that was my season done. I went back for a second scan and was told that it was still fractured, but Stuart Douglas sent me to see a specialist, which was the best thing that could have happened for me. I was told by the specialist that orthotics would help me carry on playing. If Stuart had not sent me to see the specialist I could have been sitting there with a boot on for another six weeks.
“But Stuart kept digging and I would not be back in the squad if it was not for him. I’m grateful that he’s very good at his job. It took a few days to get used to the orthotics, but it supports the area around my fifth metatarsal on the side of my foot. It was an overload injury and I was putting too much pressure on that area. In the last two weeks it has felt great and it’s brilliant to be back.”
Peter was a part of the Wimbledon squad that won at York City in September, but he’s expecting a tougher challenge tomorrow with Nigel Worthington’s men having improved considerably since then.
“We won 2-0 there and I think we played quite well there on the day,” Peter recalled. “At the time they were struggling though and we were in good form. But they have picked up a lot since then and there are no easy games in League 2.”
Peter also talked about the new signings made during the time he’s been out and healthy competition for places in the squad. Dons Player subscribers can now watch the full video interview on our premium site, along with Neal Ardley’s update ahead of York. Click on York update if you missed team news on the official website yesterday.