Perth Academy pupil Jozef Bywalec (16) could be the unluckiest sportsman in Perth — after breaking a bone for the sixth time.
Four of the fractures have come in each of the last four years, putting the brakes on a promising football career.
Jozef has been such a regular attender at Perth Royal Infirmary to have his broken bones fixed that it’s joked he should have a season ticket for the place. Each time he turns up, staff know instantly that he’s broken yet another bone.
Mum Fiona said, “Jozef is a well known face at Perth Royal, so much so that the staff say ‘There’s no point giving you leaflets about the care provided as you’re here often enough’.
“And just before his latest break, he was in Perth Royal with suspected appendicitis. Hopefully his breaks now will all be good ones — but who knows?”
And Jozef certainly believes in variety as he’s broken a different bone each time.
Seven years ago he suffered a broken finger. Three years later, a skateboarding accident saw Jozef suffer a broken wrist.
By age 14 he was making a name for himself as a defender with Fair City U/15s, but his football was put on hold for a few weeks due to a broken toe sustained while playing for his side.
Then, in 2009, while playing for Scone Thistle U/16s, he not only suffered a broken arm, but he had 120 stitches and 25 staples inserted in the wound.
And if Jozef thought his bad luck had come to an end, he had another thing coming.
Last year an accident left him with a broken knuckle, and this year he has already broken an ankle while playing basketball.
His dad, Robert, said, “Jozef has been doing OK at football and Dunfermline were keen on him just before his arm break. However, his career has been stop-start due to the catalogue of breaks he’s picked up.
“Neither of his sisters, Claire (18) and Charlotte (14) have suffered broken bones and neither have I. His mum, Fiona had a broken foot but it was so long ago she can’t remember which one.”