WILSON WAWERU is loving being back on the pitch after the toughest nine months of his career.
The Sligo Rovers striker helped the Bit O’Red off the bottom of the table with a winner against Waterford last Saturday in his first start since a return from a ruptured Achilles.
And the 24-year-old revealed there were some hard times following the blow against Dundalk in September 2024 that scuppered the conclusion of that season and the start of this one for him.
Waweru said: “I’d say it was the first proper injury I’ve got of my career, I don’t really pick up injuries. I didn’t know what happened to me until I looked back at the video.
“I went to the hospital and they said yeah, my Achilles was gone.
“I didn’t understand how long it would be until they told me it was a long-term injury and it would be nine months.
“I was in shock when I heard that news, which broke my heart. I knew if I put in the work, I’d be back playing again, and here we are today, I scored a goal and I’m happy.”
He credits the Sligo Rovers medical team with helping him recover.
Waweru continued: “I was on crutches for eight weeks so I couldn’t do anything.
“But after that, they put me in a boot and I was free to go on holiday for three weeks, so I was happy to try clear my head.
“Once January came, obviously back to business, having to do the rehab, how I’m eating, sleeping all this stuff.”
Having got some action in May, Waweru added his first start and goal against Waterford. And he will look to follow that up against Drogheda United tonight.
He added: “We had a poor start, we had our break, we had our week off, everyone looks refreshed. We look to kick on again for the second half, the camp is really positive.”
