It has been the season from hell for Chris Coyne but the star Perth Glory defender says he’s determined to make up for it in 2011-12.
It has been the season from hell for Chris Coyne but the star Perth Glory defender says he’s determined to make up for it in 2011-12.
Right from the outset things didn’t go right for 32-year-old Coyne when he discovered his decision to extend a loan move at Chinese Super league club Liaoning Hongyun had cost him the chance to represent Perth until January this year.
Having been temporarily loaned to Liaoning last March in a bid to improve his chances of World Cup selection, Coyne found the decision to stay at the club until later in the season meant he couldn’t simply transfer back to the Glory, even if he was still a officially a Glory player.
To the club’s frustration, Coyne’s return to the Glory was hampered by FIFA regulations the player and his agents didn’t know existed and as a result, Coyne was forced to bide his time, waiting for the January transfer window to open before pulling on the purple-and-white top once again.
But having trained with the Glory squad in anticipation of playing his first game on January 3 against Gold Coast, Coyne suffered a season-ending Achilles injury just two days before the team flew to Queensland.
“It was just an unfortunate thing,” Coyne said.
“I went in for a tackle with Howard Fondyke and pulled out and my foot just got caught funnily in the turf at McGillvray (Oval, where the Glory train). As soon as I done it, I knew there was something going on.”
Coyne said the early prognosis on the injury was that it was a minor problem that might be improved through an injection of his own blood into the area. But, having done that and attempting to train on it once again, Coyne said the pain felt like a knife stabbing into his leg, and the inflammation and heat radiating from the injury caused ice to melt when pressed against it.
“We went through the right course of steroids and then when I went to the see the radiographer, he said, ‘I don’t think you’ll play again this year, let me have a look’, and sure enough he came back with the results that there was a tear there.”
“The problem with the Achilles is if it does go, it goes completely,” he added.
“I’ve got a 2.5 cm tear in it at the moment but it’s not snapped, so if you snap it you’re sort of looking at maybe at 32, it could be career-ending. So we’ve just got to do the right thing rehabilitation-wise, and unfortunately it draws the line through this season for me.”
“The only other time (I had a long-term injury) was when I had a knee surgery sort of 2002-03, so that was frustrating but this has been more so, because I’m back in my home club now.”
“After being on loan I wanted to come back and repay the faith that was shown in me by (owner) Tony Sage and the club in general and unfortunately injuries occur.”
“But it’s up to me next year now to go out and prove to people that I’m still a good enough player to be here and also to prove to the people that did show faith in me that they showed that in good esteem.”
Although Coyne can’t take to the field until next season, the former Luton Town and Colchester United skipper said he can play a role in ensuring Perth’s younger players remain focused on the final three games of the season, despite the club starting a rebuilding process that’s already seen several big names, like Andy Todd, depart.
“If you look at the squad we had at the start of the last season compared to the one I think we’re going to have at the star of next, it will be a massive turnaround,” Coyne said.
“I mean you see it all the time in football, managers come and go, they all have different ideas on players and it’s just up to players to be professional and get on with it.”
“But we’ve got a good dressing room there and we’ve got good older pros and good young kids as well that aren’t ahead of themselves, so it is important that the older boys do talk them through it.”
“And, after being through a couple of administration processes in England when people aren’t getting paid for months, I mean when it’s a turnaround at the club you’ve just got to keep your head up and let things happen behind the scenes and just do your job out on the training field, which is what you’re paid for.”
