Forfar star Steven Anderson has thanked leading Fife physio Stuart Barton for saving his career and getting him back on the pitch FOUR MONTHS early.
Former St Johnstone star Anderson played just nine minutes of football for the Station Park side before he broke down into his debut against Partick Thistle in 2020.
He feared he’d be out of action for a year with a troublesome Achilles injury until enlisting the help of former Scotland and British Lions rugby physio Barton.
Barton offered Anderson exclusive access to rehab gym equipment during lockdown – including a state-of-the-art gravity machine.
That helped Anderson allay his fears of a potential career-ending breakdown and speeded up his recovery time.
“I can’t praise NHS Fife, Stuart Barton and Forfar enough for what they have done for me,” said Anderson, 35.
“I was told by a surgeon that I didn’t need to undergo surgery but I knew the recovery process would still be long and complicated.
“It came right in the middle of lockdown and under normal circumstances I’d have had nowhere to train.
“I’ve always rated Stuart very highly.
“He’s an outstanding physio, who has enormous experience. He also has brilliant rehab equipment at his gym in Anstruther.
🎙| SPFL Trust Trophy
Forfar Athletic 1 Formartine United 0
Gary Irvine
Steven Anderson
Match reaction ⬇️https://t.co/H3Lri2yHzC— Forfar Athletic (@ForfarAthletic) August 12, 2021
“I spent a lot of time working on a gravity machine. It meant I could train at 50% of my bodyweight and take the pressure off.
“That’s so important because if I did too much too soon I could injure myself again.
“At my age, that could have meant the end of my career so I had to be handled with care.
“I actually thought I’d be out for 12 months but I’m back a lot sooner. It will take me some time to get fully up to speed but I’m ready to go again.”
Steven Anderson: All clubs should back their injured players the way Forfar do
Anderson played 444 times for St Johnstone and won the Scottish Cup with them in 2014.
He then made loan switches to Partick Thistle and Raith Rovers.
Ando will face his old club Rovers on Saturday in the SPFL Trust Trophy and he’s thanks Forfar for sticking by him.
“Forfar really backed me when I got injured,” said Anderson. “They made sure my treatment was covered and that means a lot.
“I think all clubs should look after their players as we are putting our bodies on the line for them.
“There should be a better system in place to support part-time clubs to look after players.
“All my clubs have always supported me but others aren’t so lucky.
“Maybe there could be financial support for clubs to make sure they have the right level of insurance to pay for operations and treatment?”
