Key Players journey from injury hell After becoming Doncaster Rovers Most Influential Players
The Doncaster Rovers man came through the academy at the club he supported, Newcastle United. He was highly-rated within the Magpies’ set-up but a wretched period once saw him sidelined for 17 months after he suffered not one but two lateral meniscus injuries.
Thankfully he’s now well over the injury, showcased by the fact he is the only player in Rovers’ squad to have started every single league game this term.
With 10 matches left to play, his aim is to complete the full campaign. And if he does it will represent some turnaround for the 25-year-old who was recruited from Gateshead last summer.
“I was speaking to my friend recently and he was asking me about the time I was out injured,” Bailey told the Free Press. “I think it was about two years I spent out in total due to injury and Covid all mixed in. When you have that you’d do anything to be out on the pitch.
“So to now be in a position being able to play, I want to play every game and give my best. When you sit out for so long it makes you appreciate what you’ve got when you’ve got it. I definitely don’t take it for granted and I’m just enjoying it really.”
When quizzed on his time at Newcastle, Bailey handpicked a few select names from the many he rubbed shoulders with in training: “The names that sort of stick out from around my time were Jonjo Shelvey and Sean and Matty Longstaff. There’s probably a million more that I’ve forgot who I was lucky enough to play with!
“When you play with these guys you add stuff from their game into your game. I had a great time at Newcastle and I think when I moved on it was probably the right decision. Obviously it was their decision not mine, but I think it’s something I needed to do and get into senior football.”
The 27-year-old suffered a knee injury last month in the EFL Trophy tie at Bradford City. McCann said in the build-up to today’s much-needed win over Tranmere Rovers that Close was set to see a surgeon who would assess exactly what the damage is.
And the prognosis isn’t good. Speaking to the media post-match at the Eco-Power Stadium, McCann said: “We’ve had disappointing news with Ben. We knew it could be either three or four weeks or three or four months – it’s the latter unfortunately.
“We certainly won’t see him again this season. We feel like we’ve got midfielders here that are capable. We brought Matty Craig in because we thought he’s a similar type to Closey and Zain (Westbrooke) and I thought he was excellent today.”
