Bognor star: I've not played football for a year - now I can't even watch others play it

Bognor’s Chad Field, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in May of last year, has spent this entire season watching from the sidelines. To make matters worse, the pandemic’s cutback on sport has now taken football away from Field entirely; he is no longer able to get his fix by simply watching games.

“No football on telly and no midweek games to watch is making the lockdown even more boring than it already is. I’m missing football a hell of a lot,” he said.

Before the lockdown however, Field relished the opportunity to watch the Rocks from the stands, using this fresh perspective to learn more about the game and Bognor’s style of play.

“When you’re sat on the sidelines, the game looks so much easier than it actually is. All I used to hear from Robbie and Jack was to get the ball down and play, keep passing and keep moving the ball. And a lot of the time on the pitch you feel like you’re doing that. But from watching on, I’ve been able to see that at times we’re not, or at least we’re not quick enough in our play,” explained the defender.

Fortunately, most of his visits to Nyewood Lane have resulted in victories for the Rocks. Although Field has somewhat enjoyed his new role as a supporter, he’s eager to put this chapter of his career behind him and get back out there.

“I came to watch the lads as much as I possibly could. Fortunately, in the games I watched this season, they played really well, so in some ways it was quite nice to sit back and be a fan for a change. I desperately wanted the team to do well and it was heart-breaking not being a part of it to be honest,” he said.

With a personal goal to return by Christmas, Field is cautious not to aggravate the injury and is liaising carefully with his surgeon and Bognor’s former physio, Hollie Charles. The defender stressed in particular how brilliant she has been in his recovery, even after leaving the club midway through the season.

He also stated how understanding his employers were towards his injury. After the operation in October, Field was told by the surgeon that he would not be able to work for the next four months at least.

“I work for Zurich Insurance and they’re quite a big corporate company, so fortunately they had quite a good policy for people signed off work. Not going in for four months did have an effect on me mentally. And now with this lockdown, it feels like I’ve been at home forever! But yes, Zurich were really good to me; I was quite lucky,” he said.

Although most of the rehabilitation process so far has focused on rest, ice and elevation, Field has now been given the green light to start building muscle in his leg again. However, with gyms having closed across the country, it may take Field longer to return to full match fitness.

“In the four months after being signed off work, I was in a brace rather like Forrest Gump, so there wasn’t really much I could be doing. But now, I’m kind of at a stage where I can focus on bodyweight stuff. Hopefully, I can get back in the gym soon and really work on the weights because the injury’s meant I’ve lost so much leg muscle. One leg’s really skinny compared to the other one!” he explained.

With a return before the start of the season seeming unlikely, Field maturely suggested that recruiting another centre half could benefit the club, especially considering Joe Cook is due to return to his parent club, Havant & Waterlooville.

“Obviously Joe Cook came in and, from what I saw in the games I watched, he looked a really good player at centre half. With him going back to Havant and me still out injured, I think replacing him would be a good idea – but not if they take my place! It’ll probably be a bit of a free-for-all this year in trying to get players. It’s going to be very interesting to see what happens because Jack and Blakey will almost definitely be looking to improve some areas,” he said.

Upon his return, Field will undoubtedly be a vital part of Bognor’s promotion charge next season and both Pearce and Blake will look forward to having him back on the pitch. Right now, the defender is doing everything right in keeping positive and patient during these challenging times.

by Ben Willcocks

@BenWillcocks_95 on Twitter