Millwall midfielder Billy Mitchell: I thought injuries would never happen to me
BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk
Billy Mitchell is finally in sight of a first-team return – and the Millwall midfielder has given an honest assessment of his hamstring hell.
The 19-year-old has been sidelined for six months but resumed full training at the start of this week.
And Mitchell knows that his desire to become a first-team regular as quickly as possible probably backfired when he suffered a major tear on the Lions’ pre-season camp in Scotland.
The teenager, who was voted the club’s Young Player of the Year in the 2019-20 campaign, said: “First time around we were doing extra runs and I think it was the last one I felt fit and wanted to impress, almost show off. It probably served me right.
“I was sprinting and had a grade three proximal hamstring tear of my tendon. Grade four is ripping it off the bone, grade three is a tear over six centimetres long. It was right up near my butt cheek.
“I’d not experienced anything like that. I hobbled around and thought it was just cramp, even though deep down something was wrong.
“I don’t think as a young player that you truly know your body. Wrongly or rightly, I don’t know if I should say it or not, but I’ve always had quite a sceptical view of injuries.
“When I was younger I used to see certain people in the physio’s room and think ‘maybe this guy likes being injured or he hasn’t done his gym work properly’. I naively thought I’d go through my whole career not getting injured because I sleep right, eat the right things and do my gym work.
“But then your hamstring goes and you realise some things are just out of your control.
“While I didn’t want to be injured, the first time there was still that novelty of having a sustained period in the gym where I could get bigger and perhaps improve physically. It was still something new.”
Mitchell was on his way back when he suffered another injury in nearly the same area in a home Professional Development League fixture against Wigan.
“The second time was mentally much harder,” said the Orpington-raised player. “There’s only so many variations of a hamstring bridge you can do before it becomes a bit boring.
“The physios and senior management have told me to take my time this time.
“I’m coming up for six months out, so there’s really no point worrying about another three or four weeks to get things right.
“The main difference this time has been the return to playing – making sure things are a little more gradual.
“We’ve done everything properly both times. If you look back and think I half-arsed the rehab then you have a bit of regret. But we’ve done everything properly from day one. So the fact it happened a second time was a real frustrating one.
“I’ve dribbled around so many mannequins and poles – they were becoming friends! Just to train with people now is a pleasure.
Mitchell made his debut at Wigan on May 5, 2019. He clocked up 10 appearances in all competitions last season – including three starts in the cup competitions.
“It was a really good time for me – the gaffer gave me a lot of opportunities,” said Mitchell.
“I felt like I’d shifted my mentality away from being a young player breaking in to looking at games and thinking ‘if I come on I might be able to influence this’. It felt like I’d stepped away from the nervousness young players have at the start, that feeling you have to impress every time. I felt more established and that I’d had my induction or audition, whatever you want to call it, last season.
“I felt I integrated with the team more, you see your relationship change with the players. After you play a few and are in the squad every week, travelling with the lads, you get a different level of acceptance.
“When we were allowed to I was able to go out to dinner with the lads. I felt really close to them. All of them have been fantastic with me. Their support has definitely helped me through, It’s typical of the spirit.
“Over the course of the next one or two weeks we’ll gradually build my loads up. Perhaps one, two or three U23 games to increase my minutes before they think I’m ready to join back in with the first team. I’ve missed playing.”