A Highland League footballer whose career was helped back on track by generous fans after he suffered a serious knee injury has his eyes firmly fixed on a return to action.
Deveronvale striker Dane Ballard was left unable to play with his young daughter, let alone kick a football, after his studs caught in the pitch during a match against Rothes.
Thanks to teammates, fans and members of his community, the 26-year-old – who also works as a prison officer – more than £6,000 was raised for career-saving surgery.
Mr Ballard had surgery to repair ruptured ligaments and a torn lateral meniscus just days after signing a new contract with his club.
Now, back on his feet ahead of schedule, he is running once more, albeit for limited periods.
He’s zeroing-in on a return to something approaching full health by Christmas and hopes to be back in contention for a place on the pitch for the start of the 2020/21 Highland League season.
Mr Ballard was advised he’d need a rehabilitation period of 9-12 months after his surgery.
Thanks to the progress he has made with his physiotherapy at Albyn Hospital, however, his rehabilitation period has been reduced to six-to-seven months.
Mr Ballard said: “I’ve just been going by what I’ve been told by physio but this has given me a bit of a boost.
“I’ve definitely missed training. I was injured 14 months ago now and I’m itching to get back playing again.
“It was definitely a shock when it happened. This is the longest I’ve ever been out of training.”
The semi-professional praised his aftercare for the progress he’s made with his recovery after what he describes as his “worst ever football related injury”.
He said: “I’m now back up and running again and I’m also able to do light passes.
“When I started running, I tried to up it by a minute each time. On my first attempt I only managed to run for five minutes but now I’m up to 23 continuous minutes.
“Doing this has helped keep me occupied, but I’m looking forward to doing something more than just running.”
Initially Mr Ballard had physio sessions every fortnight, eventually dropping to one a month.
He had hoped to be discharged from aftercare on Wednesday but he has been advised that he has another session next month.
