Scotland Martin forward Elis Martin is still hoping to feature in the first game of the Women’s World Cup against Wales, even after sustaining a severe foot injury. Martin injured her plantar fascia, a significant band of tissue on the bottom of the foot, during the last game against Ireland. At first, she was worried that she could end up not playing the tournament, but she has been given some positive news on her chances of making a full recovery by her medical staff.
In her terms, Martin described the case thus: “I got a scan and my medial plantar fascia bundle is fully ruptured, off bone. I received a call from Flo, the physio, saying, ‘You’re not going.’” But after just a couple of hours, consultation with a surgeon yields unexpected information. The surgeon says normally, with severe plantar fasciitis, the procedure entails cutting the damaged bundle, but hers had been naturally severed by her body. The surgeon opines that although the usual recuperation time is around six weeks, if the pain can be endured by Martin, there could still be room for her to participate.
Showcasing her strength and will, Martin did not take much time to get prepared for the tournament, saying, “I’m a bit of a doer of things. In those five hours, I organized a shirt presentation, sorted out accommodation, almost arranged trains to the games, and made up my mind to braid everyone’s hair.” But the emotional load overwhelmed her when she saw her teammates on the night of the squad announcement, and it made her cry, though this time around, she made sure to credit her teammates for being so supportive.
Head coach Bryan Easson is confident Martin will regain fitness on track to line up for the Wales game, considering the other hooker, Lana Skeldon, is also suffering a major ankle injury from the previous game, for which the player had to be stretchered off the field. Skeldon has not provided guarantees of a specific return date and has insisted she will reassess her availability over the next few weeks.
The potential injury concerns at the hooker position could provide an opportunity for players like Molly Wright to step up or even lead to the inclusion of uncapped Aila Ronald in the squad. However, Martin expressed that she would prefer to earn her place on the team through competition rather than benefiting from another player’s misfortune. “I want to beat someone to that position in the best possible condition,” she said, emphasizing her desire for healthy competition among her teammates.
Now, Martin is dealing with the injury by not allowing weight on the injured foot for the next three or four days, after which she anticipates coming back to training: “We’re just gonna try to deal with the pain by not bearing no weight on it for the next three or four days, then we’ll get back to running again and hopefully be ready to play.” Her outlook is still buoyant, as this time she will attack the rehab with renewed intent: “We’re not gonna stress about it, we’re gonna act like it doesn’t even exist, then forget about it.”
