Kings marksman Roddy Young on the comeback trail
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Kingussie’s Roddy Young is nearing the end of his road to recovery following a serious knee injury which brought a premature end to his 2023 shinty season.
The 2022 Mowi National Player of the Year ruptured his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and tore his meniscus in early May, coming off the bench during the first half of a Mowi Premiership match against Glasgow Mid Argyll at the Dell.
The Kings won 4-0 that day with Ruaridh Anderson scoring twice and Alexander Michie and Savio Genini getting the others but manager Iain Borthwick’s thoughts were preoccupied by Young’s injury which he described as a ‘huge blow’.
An operation preceded a period of rehabilitation but a return to action is getting closer.
As he continues to work his way through his recovery programme, Young said: “It’s been going well. I’m now back running on the treadmill and I’m probably just a couple weeks away from being out on the pitch.
“I’m currently working on my strength training programme and, realistically, I hope to be back playing for Kingussie before the end of June.”
It’s been a long and testing journey as Young, a development officer with the Camanachd Association, adds: “It’s been really tough at times. There has been lots and lots of work put in over the months but, hopefully, it will all be worth it when I’m back playing again.”
Kingussie boss Iain Borthwick commented: “Roddy is getting on really well and his return will be a huge boost. There were close games last season where we really missed Roddy and I found myself thinking of the difference he would have made.
“He’s an exceptional player and you are talking about the game’s top scorer with 30-odd goals in 2022, shinty’s then national player of the year, and he makes that difference in front of goal when you are trying to see teams off.
“The good thing is we don’t need to push for Roddy’s return. With the likes of Dylan Borthwick back, and Thomas Borthwick now firing on all cylinders, we have different options compared to where we were this time last season.
“Ruaraidh Anderson is Mr Dependable as ever whilst Savio Genini is looking fit and sharp. He looked good in the New Year game and that was after going on a 12K run on Hogmanay.
“So, that all means Roddy will get the time he needs, and we can break him in gently without forcing anything.
“We may even give him a couple of second team games when he’s ready, just to ease him in at his own pace.”
