Farquhar is desperate to get back into action after injury hell
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ALAN Farquhar says his protracted absence from Wick Academy has been the most frustrating time of his football career.
The influential captain has spoken of the agonising injury which has kept him out of action for most of 2017.
He aims to return to training next month with a view to featuring in the first team at some point during the second half of the current Highland League campaign.
The 29-year-old underwent an operation in September after suffering a torn labrum in one of his hips. During the procedure, a bone was found to be sticking into his hip.
He also had keyhole surgery to repair damage to a knee last December, in what has been a tough 12 months for the club captain who has been named player of the year on a number of occasions.
He said: “I’ve had my operation and I am hoping to start light jogging in two weeks’ time and take things from there.
“But the big problem is I can’t twist or turn at the moment.
“I had a torn labrum which was shattered and they removed the labrum when it was found that a bone was also sticking into my hip.
“I needed six months’ recovery from my operation and that is me 10 weeks in.”
After his knee op, Farquhar played a few games towards the end of the season when the club were struggling for players.
“My last game for the club was at Rothes in May which we lost,” he said.
“We were really short for players and I tried to play the best I could, but I was only half a player.
“I could hardly run and I was playing through the pain barrier.”
Academy paid for private treatment and he said players and management have been supportive during his spell on the sidelines.
He said: “It has been frustrating not being able to play as the club has been going through a lot of changes.
“We have lost experienced players such as James Pickles and Gary Weir. At the start of the season, players have also had work commitments and we have also not had Davie Allan who has been out with injury as long as I have.
“There has not been a lot of consistency and when you see that, you get annoyed with yourself.
“You want to be playing and helping the team.”
Farquhar has been impressed with new manager Tom McKenna and believes the club is moving in the right direction.
“Tom has come in with a lot of coaching experience but at the same time he is learning himself,
“He is doing well as manager and he is taking in new bodies to the club as the squad needs competition.”
Farquhar turns 30 next month and is looking forward to a more positive 2018 when he hopes to be back playing for the Scorries.
He is also one of the few people who is happy with the number of postponements as it means he will get the chance to play more when he returns.
“With the number of games getting cancelled just now, I am quite happy as if it goes on the way it is I will only miss half a season!
“I am aiming to be back in training in January but I am just going to take everything as it comes.”
