Resilient Adam McCaffrey happy to get back playing with Keadue Rovers

Keadue Rovers star Adam McCaffrey has been glad to get back playing football with his local side in Central Park in the Brian McCormick Premier Division.

McCaffrey had a difficult spell on the sidelines, suffering a horrific head injury in a game for the Finn Harps Under-19s in December of 2021.

He got back to playing after doctor's advice midway through 2022, but then suffered a double leg break playing with ATU Donegal.

But he got back playing again at the beginning of this year and hasn’t looked back since.

“It has been great to get back after the injuries. That first injury, the head injury I got playing for Finn Harps, was extremely bad and I’m extremely lucky just to be alive, never mind playing football.

“It was a bleed to the brain, and I fractured two skull bones and every bone in my face, and I got a punctured lung then from the fall.

“I got back training with the first team after it, I just couldn’t head the ball, but I was allowed to play football.

“Then the leg break happened that October, playing with the college against UCD. We were 3-0 down and in the last five minutes of the game, I had a collision with the goalkeeper and I fractured my tibia and fibula.

“I had another thing called compartment syndrome, where they had to put a metal rod down the bone to fix the break, then they had to slice the leg to let out the pressure.

“I had seven surgeries altogether, and it took a good nine months to walk properly, and 15 months to actually run.

“It was two bad injuries, but I suppose I’m just lucky to be alive and be able to walk and run again.

“It took a lot of hard work, and I was out for about three years altogether before I was able to play again, so there was a lot of rehab and physio, and it’s so important to have a positive mindset.

“The goal was always to get back playing. Football is all I’ve done since I was young, and I’ve been involved with Harps all through underage and then the first team, and being involved with the Ireland set up when I was younger.

“Keadue then was the club I grew up playing with before Harps and I have close connections with all the players and management, and they were always in touch.

“I had a lot of tests and appointments, and I was having knee problems, then I had to get the screws and rod removed, which kept setting me back, but I’m just lucky to be alive and be able to walk and get back to playing football.”

And he has done that in the Premier Division with Patrick Bonner’s side since the turn of the year.

The side sit in sixth place at the moment in the league after seven games, with four draws and just the odd goal in every win or defeat since and they are hoping to look up the table rather than down.

“I wanted to take it slow, and I put it off until January of this year.

“I had a few offers from the north and different teams, and I just put it off because I knew it would take me a while to get back to the form and the player I was before from two and a half years ago.

“I’m happy I made that decision, and Keadue are going in the right direction with a new pitch, new clubhouse and changing rooms, so there’s a great setup.

“I knew then that the best step to get back playing with a smile on my face was with Keadue.

“The team is fairly similar enough since I came in. Aidan Brennan went to Ballinamallard for a while but he’s back, and we have a good mixture between youth and older heads.

“We’ve started very well, we beat Kildrum in the first game.

The St Catherine’s and Kilmac games, we felt we could have won, but that’s just the way the league is now, you’ll not walk over any team.

We’re creating the chances, and we’re calmer in the build-up, but we’ve just petered off with the draws, they can be a killer and almost feel like a loss. It’s all about who takes their chances on the day.

“We got a good draw against Letterkenny Rovers, which shows how close every team is.

Keadue host Bonagee United in what looks to be their final game before Christmas, with the Dry Arch Park side top of the table and still unbeaten in their six league games to date.

The hosts can only move down one spot if results go against them this weekend, but they could move up to fourth with a win, which shows how close the league is at the moment.

“We played Bonagee last year, and they beat us 3-0, and that shows how good they are.

“They’re top of the league at the minute and they have some very good players so it’ll be a tight game and we’ll be up against it from the start.

“We need to match them everywhere over the pitch, and if anyone starting is miles off it then we’ll get punished so we need to be bang on it.

“We want to go into the break on a high, it’ll be tough but if we can get a result against Bonagee then it gives you confidence over Christmas and getting back to it after the break.

“The goal at the start of the season was to be competitive, we had a disappointing enough end to last season and we want to do better.

“On a personal note, ending the year on a positive note after getting back playing in January and playing football with my friends.

“And hopefully once I get a good run of games I could get back playing with Harps or whatever is there for me.”