Colin Hamilton has opened up on the horror hamstring injury that left him feeling like he’d been ‘shot or hit by a sledgehammer.’
The Arbroath ace has been out of action since tearing his left hamstring off the bone during and 2-0 win over Ayr United in March.
Described by Lichties boss Dick Campbell as ‘the best left-back in the league’, Hammy’s presence on the park has been a huge miss.
He has continued to support his team-mates from the sidelines, with Scott Stewart telling Courier Sport Hamilton is a future manager.
Colin Hamilton reveals extent of injury
But as Hammy works his way back to fitness, he has revealed he knew instantly it was a serious injury.
Describing the moment he was injured to hosts Jon Bruce and Allen Innes on Arbroath’s Smokies and Wine podcast, Hamilton said: “It felt as though someone had shot me in the back of the leg.
“It was either that or someone had whacked me on the leg with a sledgehammer.
“Because I came down on my heel, it gave way.
“I knew right away that it was something serious. I can remember looking up and seeing Tam O’Brien there.
“He looked at me and shouted to the physio Craig to come on.
“I was in so much pain lying there and when Craig came on he wanted me to go off on a stretcher.
“I said: ‘I’m not coming off this park on a stretcher.’ I tried to get up.
“But as soon as I stood up, because I’d been lying down for so long the blood was rushing through my body.
“I managed to hobble to the side of the park and had to lie down again.
“I couldn’t straighten my leg or do anything and wouldn’t wish that feeling on anyone.”
Stopped by airport scanners after surgery
Hamilton started a lengthy recovery process after scans revealed the full extent of the injury.
Backed by Arbroath and physio Craig Reynolds, Hamilton was sent to see a specialist at the Princess Grace Hospital in London.
Hamilton was told by his surgeon in London the injury was normally experienced by water-skiers or rugby players.
But after a whirlwind visit to England’s capital for the operation, Hamilton was then stopped by Gatwick Airport scanners on his way home.
“It was the back of 11 by the time I went in for the operation,”
“I came round about 2 or 2.15pm but still wasn’t quite sure where I was but we were catching a flight back up the road at 6.30 that night.
“Craig and the surgeon felt it was better to go back up the road to my own bed and environment.
“We always wanted to go to London to see the theatre but not for that!
“After the operation, we were an hour in a taxi back to Gatwick.
Because they cleaned the crutches with special cleaner in the hospital, they wouldn’t let me through the scanner at the airport.
“My wife Cassandra was watching the Arbroath-Cove game on her phone and told me Cove had scored.
“I was sitting in the taxi gutted.
“I then remember rushing through the airport as fast as I could in crutches and a leg brace.
“But, because they had cleaned the crutches with a special cleaner in the hospital, they wouldn’t let me through the scanner at the airport.
‘Hardest six months of career’
“We were running late and Cassandra had all the bags. I told her she’d need to go and hold the plane up.
“They were checking I had a proper leg brace on and weren’t for letting me through.
“They thought there was something on the crutches – drugs or something like that.
“But eventually someone came in and tested them again and I was let through.
“The flight was delayed by 45 minutes. If it hadn’t been we would have been left.”
Management Player of the Year 2022/23
Colin Hamilton finally got his hands on the Geordie Baird Management Player of the Year Award sponsored by Astute
Colin had to leave our recent awards evening early but has finally been connected with his trophy!
Congratulations Hammy! pic.twitter.com/hY02qItIDu
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) May 23, 2023
Hamilton is not setting a firm comeback date but is hoping he can resume full training by the end of this month.
He added: “This has been the hardest six months I’ve had in football.
“I’ve never been injured like this before. I spend half my time on a bike looking out of a window because everyone else is at training.
“It’s hard training yourself, motivating yourself.
“But I’ve got to do it and hopefully I come back fitter, stronger and in a better state than I was before.”
Listen to Hamilton’s full interview on the Smokies and Wine podcast here.
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