Owen Bailey says he takes nothing for granted after enduring injury hell early on in his career.
The Doncaster Rovers man came through the academy at the club he supported, Newcastle United. He was highly-rated within the Magpies‘ set-up but a wretched period once saw him sidelined for 17 months after he suffered not one but two lateral meniscus injuries.
Fortunately, he has recovered successfully from the injury, as seen by the fact that he is the only member of Rovers’ roster to have started every league game this season.
His goal is to finish the campaign with ten games remaining. And if he succeeds, it will signify a significant improvement for the 25-year-old, who was brought in from Gateshead the previous summer.
Bailey told the Free Press, “I was talking to my friend and he asked me about the time I was out hurt.” “I believe I was away from home for around two years overall because of injuries and Covid. You would stop at nothing to be on the pitch when you had that.
“Now that I’m in a position where I can play, I want to give every game my all. Long-term absences teach you to be grateful for what you have when you do. I’m genuinely enjoying it and I don’t take it for granted.”
When questioned about his time at Newcastle, Bailey personally chose a handful of names from among the many he trained with: “Jonjo Shelvey, Sean, and Matty Longstaff are the names that sort of stick out from around my time.” I’m sure there are a million more people who I was fortunate enough to play with, but I forget them all!
“You incorporate elements from their game into your own when you play with these guys. While I enjoyed my time at Newcastle, I believe moving on was the right choice. I believe it was something I had to do in order to enter senior football, even though it was obviously their decision and not mine.”
Leave a Reply