Ryan McGowan believes the healing powers of the Adelaide sunshine helped accelerate his comeback from a near season-ending injury.
The St Johnstone defender feared a lengthy rehab after suffering a serious groin tear in the 4-2 defeat to Livingston in mid-January.
The initial diagnosis suggested McGowan would be fortunate to return after the split.
After digesting news he would miss several months, Saints were content for the 33-year-old to jet away on a mid-season break.
So McGowan packed himself and family off home to Australia to surprise best pal Daniel Mullen at his wedding. It proved a restorative experience.
McGowan was on the bench a fortnight ago at Kilmarnock and hopes to make a 23rd outing of the season when Barry Robson’s Aberdeen visit Perth today.
The versatile veteran explained: “Once we found out the injury was a bad one, they expected a 14-week process.
“I’d a hematoma in the groin which meant I couldn’t do much exercise within the first few weeks.
“The medical team and gaffer said it would be good to get away from the club for a couple of weeks, knowing that when I came back it would be a lengthy rehab.
“The timing worked out really well. I got to Australia, got some sunshine to help the recovery and it was my best friend’s wedding.
“I think the gaffer, at first, was thinking I’d planned it! Getting back and seeing friends and family was huge, I’d not been home in January for 10 years.
“Being able to call my mum and tell her I’d be back in a couple of days was great for the family.
“And it was good headspace for me to switch off and understand that, when I came back, it would be a long road to get fit.
“I believe it helped because, as soon as I returned here, my testing scores were good.
“I got re-scanned to see how it was going and was able to ramp it up and come back quicker.”
St Johnstone’s schedule initially prevented McGowan from accepting a role at former Australian cap Mullen’s nuptials.
The ill fortune of injury, however, allowed him to plot the late swoop into the summer celebrations.
Wedding ‘panic stations’
McGowan said: “Daniel played for Adelaide United, our hometown team, and has been my best friend since our first day of school together. He’s now a schoolteacher.
“I was one of the groomsmen but I’d already said it was going to be difficult to get there.
“So it was a really good surprise to knock on his door three days out from the wedding.
“Then it was a little bit panic stations to get the suit and everything organised. But it was amazing to be there.
“When I got married, he flew over here for the wedding so it was payback for that.
“It was like one big party in that I was able to see everyone. It was a special time in a bad time in terms of my injury.”
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