Harrold injury set-back is '˜Devastating'

He has learnt he must wear a protective boot on his foot for four weeks to allow his torn Achilles tendon injury to heal.

This has followed a longer-than-expected recovery from the knee operation he had before the end of last season.

Harrold has only been able to make bit-part displays this season, with five appearances so far from the bench.

The 32-year-old discovered he had a serious problem at the end of their 1-1 draw against Barnet on August 20, having only been on the field for the last 12 minutes of the game.

He said: “I was playing with a bit of discomfort for a couple of weeks and I thought it was tendonitis.

“When we came off from the Barnet it was really sore.

“The good thing was if I had ruptured it I would have been out for the rest of the season.

“I went for an ultra-sound scan, had an injection and had the boot put on.

“It’s awful being in a boot, but hopefully it can recover in four weeks and then I will take a couple of weeks to get back.

Last season’s Crawley Observer Player of the Year revealed this latest delay in his return to the side has been tough to accept.

He said: “The set-back was a hard one to take, but it could have been worse.”

Harrold is unable to run but can keep fit through using a cycle machine.

The former Bristol rovers favourite said: “There’s no point rushing it, but I hope to make a full recovery and come back to make an impact.

“It’s devastating for me following the knee injury, I had hoped to have a good season.”

Reds will miss Harrold’s contribution this Saturday when they host Luton Town.

The striker has a great record against the Hatters, having scored the winner in the away game at Kenilworth Road in March.

Harrold said: “It is very important we get a positive performance and result against Luton after losing the last three games.

“We can beat them if we play to our potentional as a group and I am gutted I can’t play against them as I managed to score three times against them last season.”

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