Walsall defender Liam Gordon is determined to relish Saturday's FA Cup clash after a freak pre-season injury last summer that left him fearing having his leg amputated.
Londoner Gordon joined the Saddlers last July on a two-year deal after leaving Bolton on a free transfer. But his career at the Bescot got off to a nightmare start on the first day of pre-season when the left-back suffered the life-threatening acute compartment syndrome.
It left his left leg numb due to restricted blood flow and required three operations in five days. But determined Gordon,23, bounced back superbly and has since made 17 appearances for Michael Flynn’s League Two side who host Premier League Leicester.
Gordon reflected: “On the first day of pre-season I came in and we did a 2k run as you do. The blood circulation in my legs stopped working properly during the run and I began to feel dizzy.
“I finished the run and made sure I completed it because I didn’t want to drop out. I collapsed on the line and I think people thought I was joking and wasn’t fit.
“But I knew that wasn’t the case and it became more serious because after half an hour I was still down on the floor. An ambulance was called and I went to hospital and later got discharged with what they thought was a sprained shin.
“They told me to rest it for three weeks but if I did that I don’t know if I would have played football again or still have my leg. The club arranged an MRI scan and it showed I had acute compartment syndrome.
“The muscle was so tight there was no blood circulation in my left leg. They had to do an insertion from my knee to my ankle to release the pressure because I had no feeling in my toes.
“My toes and the side of my shin are still numb now but I am able to play so that is all I care about. At the time everything was going through my mind and the main thing was when I realised I may never play again. But I didn’t know whether I was going to be able to walk or even have my leg.”
Gordon’s return to fitness has helped Walsall enjoy an impressive run of just one defeat in 13 games in all competitions to climb the table. No-one is relishing today’s FA Cup tie more than Gordon after his traumatic ordeal.
Gordon, who has also played for Carshalton and Dagenham, added: “It is hard to forget what has happened but I appreciated every moment now It could have been a lot different.
“I’ve been mentally strong to get back to what I know. I’ve had so much support at Walsall, the best of any club I have been at. I come in everyday in a good mood. I relish every game - especially this Leicester game because I have never got past the first round before.”
Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes have only picked up one point from five top-flight games since the World Cup and are in danger of relegation. Gordon says Flynn’s close-knit squad can’t wait to try and upset the odds.
He said: “We don’t fear any team. There is no opponent who fazes us no matter how high they are in the food chain. We’ll play our game which has brought us success in the League.
“I am looking forward to it and hopefully we can have a Cup upset. We would have loved it to have been on TV and I think personally it should have. But we just have to focus on winning our game to be on TV in the next round.”
