Having a full seventeen stone’s worth of Strong crashing down on your knee is not an experience to relish, but that’s exactly what happened to new Ponty recruit Close, the resulting injury ruling him out of the start of the new season.
The freak accident occurred during Ponty’s pre-season friendly match against Ynysybwl, with winger Close – himself a strapping six foot four, seventeen stoner –Â coming off second best from the clash with teammate Strong.
An initial diagnosis of torn ligaments compounded by cartilage damage in the knee, meant that Close could be ruled out of his entire first season at Pontypridd. The Rhydyfelin product spent time with his leg encased in plaster and hobbling around on crutches, with the outlook for recovery looking none too good.
The knee injury however proved to be less serious than feared, and Close was able to progress ahead of schedule with his rehabilitation, aided by Ponty’s first class back up medical team. With the plaster removed, and a programme of physiotherapy well under way, the winger is now looking to be back in action within five weeks.
A return to light training this week, building up quickly to full contact work if all goes well, could see Close pushing for a place in the Ponty starting line up by mid November. That would be good news for the player himself, and likewise for Pontypridd, who would do well to utilise the giant winger’s power play and try scoring prowess when again fully fit.
