Hibs: Joe Newell speaks on untimely injury setback

Former Rotherham man bemoans untimely setback
Hibs midfielder Joe Newell had hoped to make a return to action against St Johnstone before the coronavirus outbreak postponed all football in ScotlandHibs midfielder Joe Newell had hoped to make a return to action against St Johnstone before the coronavirus outbreak postponed all football in Scotland
Hibs midfielder Joe Newell had hoped to make a return to action against St Johnstone before the coronavirus outbreak postponed all football in Scotland

Joe Newell has described the injury which has put him out of action for the past month as the most annoying of his career.

The midfielder admitted he didn’t think he’d even miss a match as he limped off with sore heel during Hibs 2-1 win at Kilmarnock and was actually warming up for the following game against Livingston only to pull out minutes before kick-off.

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He has now missed the Easter Road club’s last four matches and had harboured hopes of playing in today’s Premiership match against St Johnstone before the coronavirus crisis forced the postponement of all matches.

“I’ve had a lot of niggly injuries this year,” said the 26-year-old, “I have had a lot of injuries throughout my career.

“But this has probably been the most annoying, purely because it’s not that serious but I still haven’t been able to do anything. I’ve had bleeding and inflammation inside the heel and you walk on your heel everywhere.

“You can’t treat it like a normal muscle, you just have to wait on it to go. So it has been annoying, but I have been working in the gym and trying to keep on top of things.

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“Very few footballers will play at 100 per cent, you always have a little niggle or a problem. I just thought it was a bruise and it would be fine.

“I trained on the Friday and then on the Saturday morning I had a reaction, it had obviously bled again. It was too painful and if I had played I wouldn’t have been anywhere near good enough. I would have been doing myself and the team and injustice, so I thought it was best to pull out.”

Newell admitted the injury had come at just the wrong time for him as he enjoyed a run of matches and.

The former Rotherham United player said: “I had been playing and doing well and we’d been getting resutls so it was annoying to come out at that time. It has happened a couple of times. I got hurt when the manager first arrived and was out for a few weeks and missed a couple of big games.

“It has just been a bit of a stop-start season for me really.”

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