Allan 'desperate' to get back for Wick Academy but recovery is slow process
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Wick Academy's Davie Allan says he is "desperate" to return to full fitness but accepts he is unlikely to be back in the team before the end of the current campaign.
The 33-year-old forward has had to be patient as he recovers from the serious knee injury he suffered in a Highland League match at Inverurie's Harlaw Park nine months ago.
“It is quite a slow process, to be honest," Allan said.
"I was in a brace for eight weeks at the start and you're just trying to get your knee bending again, so you're noticing progress as you go along at the start. And then when you come out of it you're just trying to walk again properly and get that going.
"In the last few months it has been quite slow. I haven't really seen a whole load of progress, but I think I'm probably getting somewhere now.
“I'm back doing light running. It's still sore a bit when I'm doing it but I think it's just something I am going to have to stick with.
"I'm getting there slowly but it's going to take a bit of time.
“I'm not really close to normal training yet. I did go up to training the other week, just to do a bit of light running. But my knee is not fully stable yet, so things like pushing off on it and landing on it... I wouldn't be comfortable with that yet.
“If I'm being realistic, I would have thought I'll be struggling to play this season but I wouldn't rule it out either – if I can play, I'll play.
“I'm desperate to get back. But we're in January now and the season finishes in mid-April, so it's not that far away when you think about it.”
The injury – a ruptured patellar tendon – occurred during a 4-0 defeat to Inverurie Locos on April 2. Allan was stretchered off and was taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness after the match.
Allan, who works as a design engineer at Vulcan, has been reading up on the injury and how it has affected other footballers.
“It's not that common an injury, but it's quite a bad one,” he said. “I maybe had unrealistic ambitions at first and thought I'd be back at the start of the year, but I don't think that was ever really going to happen.
"It's not going to be a quick fix. You've got to be sensible because you don't want to set yourself back.”
Allan has had to get used to being a spectator at Academy's home games and admits it can be frustrating being stuck on the sidelines.
“I try to get to every home game if I can, because I think you should stay involved and get there to support the boys," he said.
"But I'm not going to lie, it's quite frustrating watching – especially in a couple of games when they've been struggling and I've been thinking maybe I could make a difference.
“When you should be playing, it's not great standing watching.”
Manager Gary Manson has regularly had to chop and change his starting eleven because of players being injured or unavailable.
Allan said: “We've played well in spells and maybe not so well in spells. It's probably the same problem as last year – getting the same team on the pitch two weeks in a row.
“The defence seems to change from week to week and that's one of the key points that you want to keep as consistent as you can. I don't think that has helped at all.
“I don't remember anything like this in my time at Academy.”
Allan made his 400th competitive appearance for the Scorries in February, scoring one of the goals in a 3-2 win against Fort William.
He signed for the club in 2008 and has scored 159 goals in all competitions.
Allan was named as Wick Academy Supporters' Player of the Year at the end of 2021/22 season.
Academy are due to face Brora Rangers at Dudgeon Park on Tuesday.
