Purches: A very long way to go

AFC Bournemouth utility player Stephen Purches was delighted to take the next step in his recovery from a broken leg.

Purches suffered a double leg break following an innocuous 50/50 challenge with Rochdale's Jason Kennedy on 18th February.

Purches broke his tibia and fibula in the challenge and was taken straight to Royal Oldham Hospital.

24 hours later Purches had an operation to insert a metal plate into the leg and thankfully, that surgery went well and he soon returned to Bournemouth to begin his recuperation at home.

After a period of walking without crutches with the aid of an air boot, he then began to walk without the boot but with crutches.

The day before the rest of the AFC Bournemouth squad returned for pre-season training Purches then came off the crutches and began his own pre-season schedule.

Last week that included running outside for the first time, something that has really lifted Purches' spirits.

Purches told the Daily Echo...

'...It was just nice to be given the chance to have a little jog outside. It felt very weird and heavy to start with but I got a bit better as I went along and just got more confident with it.

"Being injured, you just always feel so far removed from everything. It was just nice to be within touching distance of the lads on the pitch.

"I know I have still got a very long way to go to even be able to join in training or anything like that, but it is the first step of getting closer to being back involved, which is the ultimate goal and why I am putting in all this hard work."

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