Storrington striker Clark '˜upbeat', but '˜gutted' by double leg break in abandoned game

Storrington's match at Selsey was abandoned on Bank Holiday Monday as striker Greg Clark suffered a horrific double leg break.
Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. Storrington player sustains a suspected double fracture. Pic Steve Robards  SR1637633Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. Storrington player sustains a suspected double fracture. Pic Steve Robards  SR1637633
Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. Storrington player sustains a suspected double fracture. Pic Steve Robards SR1637633

Having already scored, the striker went down under a collision with home goalkeeper Jordan Smith and was tended to by the physios while the emergency services were called.

The Division 1 match was eventually abandoned on 73 minutes with the hosts leading 3-2 as they waited almost two hours for an ambulance to take the stricken player to hospital.

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X-rays on Monday evening revealed Clark had broken both his tibia and fibula and required a pinning operation this week.

Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. Storrington player sustains a suspected double fracture. Pic Steve Robards  SR1637635 SUS-170201-153058001Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. Storrington player sustains a suspected double fracture. Pic Steve Robards  SR1637635 SUS-170201-153058001
Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. Storrington player sustains a suspected double fracture. Pic Steve Robards SR1637635 SUS-170201-153058001

Swans manager John Rhodie said it was the worst injury he has seen on a football pitch and revealed Clark was ‘gutted’ but ‘upbeat’.

He said: “It was a very difficult situation, Greg is a lovely lad and while you would not wish it on anyone, he is such a nice chap. I have been around the county since I was 16 and I have seen injuries such as ACLs, but most of the time players have been able to hobble off.

“It’s the first injury I have seen that is so bad that an ambulance has had to be called. It was a very tricky situation, but Selsey as a club, their committee and players were excellent.

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“It was nearly two hours wait for an ambulance and Greg was on the cold, wet floor, they were very supportive and phoned several times insisting on the urgency.”

Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. . Pic Steve Robards  SR1637607 SUS-170201-152531001Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. . Pic Steve Robards  SR1637607 SUS-170201-152531001
Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. . Pic Steve Robards SR1637607 SUS-170201-152531001

Clark was making his first start for Swans for a number of weeks and had already scored and almost levelled the game up with the tackle with the goalkeeper that result in the break.

Rhodie added: “He said he knew straight away that something was seriously wrong. He is just a lovely lad, I spoke to him on Monday night and he is hoping surgery will sort it all out. He’s quite upbeat, but gutted as well.”

Storrington fully expect the game to have to be replayed, something that match referee Ian Moore also indicated after it was abandoned.

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Rhodie added: “It was quite an open game and we had started to really take control in the second half when they scored against the run of play.

Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. Storrington player sustains a suspected double fracture. Pic Steve Robards  SR1637635 SUS-170201-153058001Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. Storrington player sustains a suspected double fracture. Pic Steve Robards  SR1637635 SUS-170201-153058001
Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. Storrington player sustains a suspected double fracture. Pic Steve Robards SR1637635 SUS-170201-153058001

“It’s hard to come away and reflect on the game, but as a team we had a chat about things afterwards. We’ll get out and hit the road a couple of times this week after the Christmas period and put what happened with Greg in the back of our minds ahead of the Southwick game.”

Selsey chairman David Lee said: “I am not sure we did anything more than what one would expect in these situations. The Storrington physio tended the player and an ambulance was called.

“Our secretary, Paul Senior, spoke to the ambulance service and kept in touch with them and the Storrington people whilst we waited for the ambulance to arrive.

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“Unfortunately, yesterday (Monday) stretched everybody’s patience as it took nearly two hours for an ambulance to arrive at the ground. This was the first bit of professional medical assistance that the player received after the incident.

Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. . Pic Steve Robards  SR1637607 SUS-170201-152531001Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. . Pic Steve Robards  SR1637607 SUS-170201-152531001
Selsey FC v Storrington FC 02-01-16. . Pic Steve Robards SR1637607 SUS-170201-152531001

“This caused me concern, as the player, whilst being kept warm and comforted, should not have been allowed to lie around for this amount of time without some attention. I am very surprised that the ambulance service was not able to attend sooner or have some sort of contingency plan in place.”