ANNAN Athletic loanee Aaron Brown admits scoring on his second debut for the club has made the last year of pain worth it.
It has been a long hard journey for the 19-year-old. He made his first Annan debut — on loan from Kilmarnock — last year against Falkirk. But only days later he would suffer a nightmare Achilles injury in training which left him bed-bound for months.
After a gruelling recovery, the teenager is back on the field. He only signed on loan for the Black and Golds for a second time last week but was drafted in from the start against Kelty Hearts.
And the forward played a huge part in Annan’s 3-1 victory, and scored the team’s third of the afternoon just seconds before he was subbed off.
Recalling the last year, Brown said: “Last year I signed and played well for the club against Falkirk, but then got injured the week later whilst training with Killie.
“I snapped my Achilles when I was pushing up for a sprint. It was agony, I couldn’t sleep properly and every time I moved I was in pain. I was bed-bound for two months.
“The only time I got out of the house was to see the surgeon. It’s such a big injury and the surgeon didn’t want me to even move for months. It was really difficult, I couldn’t even shower myself properly.
“But that’s in the past now. It’s made me more mentally strong, so I try to take the positives out of it.
“When I got fit, I wanted to come out and get as much experience as I could. I do feel I need to get more match sharp. I’ve only played three games in the last year.”
On his dream second debut, Brown said: “It was a great feeling to start. I knew I was coming off and I think I scored with my last touch. It was an incredible feeling. The goal made it even better.
“I was shattered the next day though. I think the buzz of starting the game and scoring kept me going on Saturday night.”
