In my late twenties was playing in a Beds, Bucks & Herts cup game at Buckingham Athletic and cane back to defend a corner at the near post ... as it came over our own dozy keeper came out to claim it as I headed it away with his knees raised ... poleaxed me full in the side and I thougt I'd been hit by a train ... couldn't get my breath for about 2 or 3 mins ... trainer came on and told me to "go up front and run it off" ... like a t**t I tried ... couldn't move my left arm ... had to come off ... after X-ray transpired I had two broken and another two cracked ribs - admittedly just the small ones at the bottom of the ribcage ... it's not the initial impact (fookin painful) but the aftermath ... you can't sleep laying on the damaged side (for obvious reasons) and if you lay on the other side you 'spring' the damaged side ... for about a week had to sleep on either my back or my front (with neck turned - stiff as fook come the mornings) ... had to get in a hot bath every morning the first week just to be able to start to move ... and then developed a cough/cold for fooks sake - which the docs told me was par for the course with such injuries ... every sneeze and cough was fookin murder ...
Queenie's had it far worse mind ... the mental stress of which outfit to wear at Mardi Gras must be seriously debilitating ...
