Dunfermline striker Graham Bayne says he is “devastated” at the recurrence of an injury that will lead to him leaving the Pars and puts his football career on hold.
The 30-year-old was given a contract at East End Park until the end of July to prove his fitness following a troublesome season made difficult with a painful foot condition called plantar fasciitis.
The condition involves the inflammation of connective tissues along the bottom of the foot and had resulted in Bayne not playing since November.
The former Dundee, Ross County and Inverness Caley forward went under the surgeon’s knife in April, but the problem has flared up again, and Bayne admitted he now faces an uncertain future.
“I could feel it last week around Wednesday/Thursday so I had a scan and this showed that the tendon was inflamed,” he told Courier Sport.
“I had run for a day or so but this was not doing it any favours. To say I’m devastated is an understatement.”
He continued, “I had a talk with the manager and the physio and can’t speak highly enough of them. I still have two and a half weeks to go with Dunfermline so the manager said I should come in and use the facilities.
“Everyone here at the club has tried to help me. So I will try to maintain my fitness by using the gym and swimming over the next couple of weeks.”
Kirkcaldy-born Bayne, who joined the Pars in June 2008, said the timescale of recovery is “unknown” but hasn’t given up on his football career.
He will leave Dunfermline at the end of this month.
“I don’t know when this will heal up — it could be three months or nine months,” he added.
“It is not an easy time for me as my wife is off on maternity leave just now so we’ll need to see when she can go back to work.
“But it’s not the end of the line for me as I still want to look to get back to playing for a club. My first avenue will be to finding a club although I’m not going to just walk into one.
“I’m just dying to get back to playing football again.”
Pars manager Jim McIntyre described the announcement as a “massive blow” to both Bayne and the Fife club.
“Graham’s broken down and this is a big blow for us and him,” he said.
“The injury was not healing and it could take between three to six months. He’s such a nice guy and good to have around the place and it goes without saying that we wish him all the best for his future.”