Murray Davidson knew things had really gone off the rails when he saw a train hurtle past the end of his bed.
The St Johnstone midfielder was in hospital at the time, awaiting surgery after damaging knee ligaments during a home game against Hearts on January 18.
When the drinks trolley came by laden with tea, coffee and biscuits, Davidson began hallucinating because of the amount of morphine he had taken to ease his pain.
So instead of an espresso, he thought an express was coming his way.
He said: “I was in so much pain that the nurses were giving me one morphine tablet an hour, eight times a day. It made me hallucinate and every time the drinks cabinet went past I thought it was a train.
“My mum and dad were there so they were worried, wondering what was going on inside my head. But I was just totally out of it. I was seeing things and hearing things. Apparently that’s normal when you’re on the morphine.
“Speaking to people now, they’re telling me I was saying stuff but not making any sense even less than usual.
“I am starting to remember a few of the things I was saying and doing I wasn’t in a good way. It was hard to get my head around when I was in hospital.
“Because of the pain I didn’t sleep or really eat for two weeks. I was in tears because of the pain at times. I had a few setbacks.
“The days are long enough when you can’t sleep, but when you’re stuck in hospital all you’re doing is lying around thinking about it. So in the three weeks since I got out of there it has got better because I’m more positive now.
“I’m feeling better about the whole thing now.”
Of course, when a player is in a bad place the people he can rely on to offer sympathy and support are, ahem, his teammates.
The St Johnstone boys certainly didn’t let Davidson down.
“Tam Scobbie actually phoned me up pretending to be a reporter from the BBC,” he said.
“I was out of it with the painkillers at that time so I wasn’t really sure what was going on. Tam was pretending to interview me but I wasn’t making any sense.
“I remember thinking I better not swear in case it was a reporter I was speaking to but it’s all pretty hazy. After speaking for a wee while I clicked who it was.
“Tam and the lads were taking the mickey out of me, but that’s OK because it’s a football club and that’s what happens. I’m not the first and won’t be the last to get that kind of wind-up.
“Actually, it’s good for you because it’s a reminder that you’re still part of it. They knew I needed a laugh and they were trying to make me feel better.”
Davidson has been “part of it” this week, joining the rest of the squad at their training base in Stirling.
He is getting around with the aid of crutches but his spirits seem remarkably high, considering what he has been through.
“I felt my knee go when I jumped for the ball,” he said.
“The knee pinged and I knew it was serious as soon as I had done it. Most people thought I did it when I landed because I came down very awkwardly, but it wasn’t that.
“I landed funnily because the damage was already done and my muscles had gone. I have watched it back on the internet and someone pinged the ball off my head when I was down.
“But I was in so much pain that I didn’t notice that at the time. I got the operation on the Tuesday after the Hearts game, but afterwards I had a problem because it was bleeding underneath the scar.
“That meant a second operation so they could open it up and clean the wound out again. Thankfully that didn’t set me back any it was more of an inconvenience than anything.
“The surgeon has said it has healed really well and he’s happy with it now. I’m back on my feet again, although I have to use crutches to get about.
“It’s good to be mobile, but I still have to be patient and not push myself too much. There is never a good time to get injured, but I have been lucky so far and that’s football.
“I suppose it was just my turn. “I just have to make sure I come back fitter and stronger than ever. You have to be positive.”
Davidson is out of contract come the end of the season but his focus is fully on recovering from injury.
“I’ve not spoken to the club about my contract and that’s the last thing on my mind at the moment,” he insisted.
“The manager has been speaking to me, but the main thing right now is getting the rehab done. We’ll take it from there after I start that.”