Rumours began to circulate about the former Aston Villa youngster’s condition after he was not named in the squad to face Brentwood Town in the third round of the Essex Senior Cup on Monday evening. Previously, Smith had appeared to have made a full recovery after completing 84 minutes of the 1-0 reserve team win at Gillingham in late October.
However, talking to the official website, www.southendunited.co.uk, physiotherapist John Stannard revealed most Southend supporter’s worst fears. “The specialists have confirmed [that] he has ruptured his Achilles tendon”, the former Barnet and Dagenham & Redbridge sponge-man said, “last night an operation was completed and he is now out for the rest of the season”, adding that a return to training would be no earlier than six months.
The 22-year-old missed the latter part of the 2002/3 campaign and the start of the following season under Steve Wignall after continually playing through the pain barrier of a thigh injury, and after coming back into the side soon after the former Colchester United manager’s departure, he was deemed unavailable after a metal plate was inserted into his left ankle in February following a career-threatening tackle from Cambridge United’s Warren Goodhind.
At the start of 2004/5, Smith was handed a conditional contract by new manager Steve Tilson, which saw a second year extension dependent on the completion of twenty Football League clashes by May. This new injury means that he will only be returning to training at that time, and the likelihood is that his injury-prone reputation could stand in the way of a new deal, although a three-month offer may give the midfielder another chance.
Smith has received encouraging news about his injury though, with both Stannard and the specialists convinced that he can return from this setback as he has the previous two long-term knocks. “The specialist has told him there is no reason why he shouldn’t play professional football again. The repairs have gone well and I think Jay will take that on board and use his experience to recover from this injury”, Stannard said.
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com