‘Something that should never have happened’

Defender forced to retire after mental scars from injury failed to heal

An unmistakable indicator of the long lay-off Mansfield’s John Thompson faced was the pool of blood soaking into the New Manor pitch, but not even he could have forecast the mental torture that incident in August 2011 would unleash.

Thompson, a former Ireland international, was still in his twenties when the career he cherished was somersaulted, literally and metaphorically, into a place of no return. Those few seconds between Gary Ricketts shoving him at speed towards the hoardings and the moment of impact will stay with him for life.

Ricketts hared full force into Thompson, flinging him off the pitch head first into the perimeter advertising boards.

Thompson’s injuries were horrendous. On first glance, the player resembled a victim of a violent street-brawl or car accident.

As well as breaking the Irishman’s nose, the action of Ricketts resulted in Thompson requiring 60 stitches in his face, suffering a damaged shoulder and a dislocated finger. He was forced to eat through a straw for a month.

Perhaps the trauma might have been less arduous on the player had his brush with Ricketts been isolated. This was a low-key pre-season match between two Nottinghamshire non-league teams.

Thompson had just joined Mansfield, recently relegated from the Football League, and they led 4-2 against Ilkeston, from a few divisions below, when player-coach Ricketts embarked on a one-man rampage.

After two Ricketts challenges put two Mansfield players in the hospital, Stags manager Paul Cox considered withdrawing his players from the pitch. That he didn’t would have far-reaching consequences.

Seventeen minutes from full-time, Thompson was Ricketts’ next and last victim.

“It was something that should never have happened on a football pitch,” reflected the Dubliner.

Footballers enter the trade expecting to incur injury, but the defender, who had won the U16 European Championship in 1998, played in a Nottingham Forest team edged out in the play-offs for a Premier League place and captained their neighbours Notts County to the League Two title, gradually realised the comeback required much more than physical recuperation. That he only played 18 times over this season and last confirms as much.

While the wounds and scars eventually gave way, in their place came a nervousness not previously experienced by Thompson during his 14 years in the game. Panic attacks became more frequent, especially around match situations. Mental health may be a stigma for men, but he recognised the problem and sought help in the form of a psychologist.

For all the support he got, a great deal of it from his club, Thompson last week made up his mind about his future. As much as it rankled with him, his only choice was to quit.

Less than a year ago and with his football confidence in a state of flux, Thompson embarked on his journey to become a qualified physiotherapist. Like another bright Irish prospect who encountered injury problems, Richie Partridge, he enrolled on a course at Salford University.

Thompson will marry his long-term partner Lorna in Croatia this summer, though there are first-year exams to negotiate before the sun and nuptials beckon.

The date of Thursday, August 4, 2011, however, never drifts far away. Legal proceedings have recently been initiated by Thompson against Ricketts, making it a potential test case for English football. The seeking of justice ensures the memory lives with Thompson every day, a fact he came to accept a long time ago.

“My recovery is still recovering,” he admitted. With personal courage in abundance and plenty of friends to lean on, one can only hope the next chapter shines bright on one of the game’s gents.