DUMFRIES defender Scott Hooper admits it’s so good to be back on the pitch after a gruelling year out with a stack of injuries.
The Annan Athletic star has been through hell over the past 12 months which included having a round of chemotherapy treatment to help mend his broken bones.
The 29-year-old spoke openly about his horrific journey where he named a shopping list of injuries he’s had to deal with.
He said: “I tore my hip abductor, my pelvis was crumbling, ripped the tendons on my hip, snapped ligaments in my groin, had stress fractures in my stomach and groin, strained my hamstring, osteitis pubis and had Gilmore’s Groin.
“I got an injection on my pubic bone and then I got chemotherapy treatment to help my bones because they were breaking.
“We saw a doctor in Preston who used to be at Chelsea and Aston Villa so he knew what he was talking about.
“After the chemo I couldn’t walk for three days. I had to get my wife Lisa and her family to help me off the couch. I couldn’t walk up the stairs. It was hard but I knew it was going to help me.
“The chemo was running through my body for six weeks trying to make it better and thankfully it did.”
Hooper added: “I wasn’t allowed to walk long distances for six months. I wasn’t supposed to work but I had to and it made it worse.
“My former manager Peter Murphy told me last season I needed to rest up as if I kept doing what I was doing that it was likely I wouldn’t play football again.
“If somebody says you’ll never play football again you have to listen to them. Luckily enough I did.
“It was demoralising and it was dark at times but you’ve got to fight through it. I’ve got to keep taking two steps forward rather than two steps back.
“There’s light at the end of the tunnel. I think being active seven days a week all the time hasn’t helped. The impact over the years and maybe the astroturf hasn’t helped with the pounding of the ground.”
Hooper could’ve been back on the park much earlier than predicted but after his third training session he fractured his ankle.
He added: “I wasn’t having much luck at all but you’ve got to get up and bounce back. You train every day to get to Saturday and I’ve not had that for a year.”
Hooper made his heroic return against his former side Queen of the South.
He replaced derby goal hero Tam Muir in the final stages of their 1-0 win over the Doonhamers.
Hooper added: “It felt a bit alien coming on. It’s been a year today in the exact same fixture.
“The manager Wullie Gibson had already told Mac Kilsby to warm up before Tam pulled up so it was surprising to hear me get called upon, but I’ve been involved in football long enough now that I’m fine in any situation. However, I had been out a year so I was a bit worried but I got through it.”
Hooper has been hailed by Galabank chief Gibson who knows how hard he’s worked to get back to this point.
Gibson said: “I looked over and gave him the wee nod. He came on like a young kid again because I know how much he’s been looking forward to it.
“He never put a foot wrong when he came onto the pitch. That’s the quality that we’ve been looking for.
“He’s a credit to himself and he got his rewards today by coming on and helping the boys to a clean sheet.”
