Liam Smith has spent the last five months unable to do his job – because he couldn’t kick a ball.
The Dundee United defender made his first appearance since September on Tuesday night as the Tannadice side were held to a draw by city rivals Dundee.
Scans gave him a clean bill of health from his medial ligament injury months ago.
But the defender’s comeback was delayed when he broke down in training while trying to strike the ball.
“It’s been a bit of a mystery,” said Smith. “I couldn’t kick a ball and that’s a bit of a problem given what I do for a job!
“I had an inflammation that wouldn’t go away and it’s been the most frustrating injury in my career.
“I’ve been running for months and months with the sports scientist.
“That has kept me fit and it’s always been a case of being fine to go when I could kick a ball again.
“Some days I’d feel OK then I’d kick the ball one way and feel rubbish again.
“There were times where the medical staff built me up to go but I’d break down again.
Liam Smith volleys United level at the back post as Rangers concede for the first time since September⚽️🍊| #DUFC pic.twitter.com/ztKVojsOtE
— OurDUFC (@OurDUFC) December 14, 2020
“It was a total mystery. The scans were showing it was looking good and I was ready.
“Then every time I went back to training and caught the ball the wrong way it set me back.
“It’s so hard. If you have a hamstring injury you know you will be out for a number of weeks and can play again.
“But with this I could run and was out on the pitch every day but literally couldn’t kick the ball.
“Luckily, I’m over it now and raring to go.”
Liam Smith: Kieran Freeman has been excellent
𝙊𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 🍽
Not the result we were looking for, but another perfect delivery from #𝙊𝙪𝙧𝘼𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙮 graduate Kieran Freeman for our second goal 🎯
The full-back is averaging a ⚽️ or 🅰️ every 1️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ minutes this season 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/ZxbYy4ZgfR
— Our Academy (@DUFCAcademy) November 7, 2021
In Smith’s absence, Kieran Freeman has made a big impact in his position.
Freeman’s form has been so impressive that he landed a new contract until 2024.
He has become a firm fans’ favourite and Smith knows he has a real battle to wrestle jersey from ‘Sheep.’
“It’s brilliant to be back involved,” added Smith.
“It sets alight the fire inside of you to kick on.
“But Kieran has done really well in that position and hopefully we can push each other on.
“We’ve now lost just one in four and the Dundee game becomes a good point if we can get a win at St Johnstone.
“St Johnstone are fighting for their lives and have gone through the highs and lows of football.
“They have gone from winning two cups to being near the bottom of the league.
“I’m sure they haven’t done anything differently. It’s the unpredictability that makes us love football so much.”
