ARMAGH defender James Morgan is facing up to a year on the sidelines.
The Crossmaglen Rangers clubman will have a second operation on a long-term wrist injury at the end of the month and surgeons have advised him to take 12 months out to allow the injury to heal fully. The 24-year-old All-Ireland club championship winner first picked up the injury at county training in February last year and has been played through the pain barrier since.
“Eugene McVerry ran into me - I’ll never forget it,” he said with a laugh.
“I knew it was bad then, but I played on because the league was just starting and we were playing Sigerson [with St Mary’s]. There was a lot of competitive football on and I didn’t want to miss any. I had the opportunity to get it fixed at the end of the season, but I postponed it to play with Cross and, after the year with Cross, my wrist was so bad it needed extensive surgery, but I ended up playing with Armagh too. I’m regretting it now because the surgeon said I have no more cartilage or ligament left in my wrist.”
Morgan, who recently qualified as a teacher, had surgery in June and the follow-up operation means he will certainly miss his club’s defence of their Armagh senior football championship, which begins against Dromintee on August 21. He could also be ruled out of Armagh’s Division Three and Ulster Championship campaigns.
“Anne-Marie Byrne, the surgeon down in Dublin, is very good and she told me I’m going to have to take 12 months out,” he said.
“I’m going to try and be positive and my personal target would be sooner than that. I’ll see what way I am after I get the pins out and when I start moving the wrist, but I’ll miss the season with Cross. January is my most optimistic target, but the surgeon said next June. I think they give you a worst-case scenario because, when I had my hip operated on, I was told to take 12 months out and I got it down to four months. But I’ll see how I am, I want to get it right."
Back in 2013, there were fears Morgan’s footballing career was over after he was seriously injured in a car crash that left him with a dislocated hip and a shattered arm. He showed uncommon dedication to battle back to full fitness and admits watching on from the sidelines will be frustrating.
“You want to prove yourself all the time and it’s frustrating not playing football,” he said.
“Especially after having already taken time out. It’s hard when you’re in Cross and everyone is talking football and playing football - there’s very little else to occupy you when you’re injured apart from pushing yourself hard to get back. But I just graduated there, so I’m going to be looking for a job teaching, primary or secondary, hopefully I’ll get work somewhere.”
He added: “I feel like I should be at the peak of my career.
“I feel like I should be one of the leaders of the team and establishing myself with Armagh and playing football every day. I can’t put it down to anything else but bad luck and I’m hoping to get round this corner and then leave it all behind me.”
Meanwhile, Crossmaglen will also be minus Jamie Clarke and a number of other established stars for the start of the Armagh senior championship. Manager Gareth O’Neill will have to do without All-Ireland club championship winners including Paul Hughes, Aaron Cunningham (both in the USA) and club stalwart Martin Aherne (retired) when Cross begin their Gerry Fagan Cup campaign with a south Armagh derby clash against Dromintee in Cullyhanna.
Despite those losses, Crossmaglen are top of the Armagh Senior League. Last weekend, they showed trademark resilience to come back from four points down with five minutes left to beat neighbours St Patrick’s, Cullyhanna with late goals from Rian O’Neill and Tony Kernan.
