Mansfield Town

Striker Liam Hearn is staying positive, despite learning the news that he will be out until Christmas with a knee injury.

The summer signing suffered a cartilage tear in his knee after an innocuous-looking tumble in last week’s Capital One Cup First Round tie at Sheffield United.

Nevertheless, the forward is trying to stay positive as he now looks towards the future.

Hearn said: “Right now I’m in a lot better place than what I was when obviously I first found out about the injury. I’m seeing a positive path and although Christmas seems like a long time away to a lot of people, it’s not that long away to me.



“I’m a positive person. To get where I have in my career I think I’ve done really well, considering the obstacles that I’ve had to face. So for me, this is just another obstacle that I’ve got to face and I’ve got to get through it.

“I can’t sit there feeling sorry for myself and I can’t blame other people. I can’t blame anything – it’s happened, I’ve just got to deal with it and move on. And hopefully it’ll make me a better person.”

The ex-Grimsby Town man insists that he is in the best hands possible and is looking forward to his rehabilitation, believing the facilities which are available to him will speed up the process.
Hearn said: “I’ve done some research on the surgeon that I’m having and he’s a really good surgeon.

“He’s done some really important operations, so hopefully I’ll be in good hands and he’ll get me back to where I want to be.”

He continued: “With the facilities I’ve got at St George’s Park to use, there’s no reason why I won’t come back in great shape, if not better than before.

“I didn’t join up with Chrissy [Chris Bowman, physio] until four-and-a-half or five months after my operation last time and the majority of the rehabilitation I did, I did on my own.

“So if I can get with him from the start, use St George’s Park and obviously just keep doing what I’m doing I can’t see [any] reason why I can’t be back just after Christmas.”

Hearn revealed that everybody has been extremely supportive of him since he found out about the injury, especially his team-mates: “Muzza [Adam Murray] and a few of the boys said some nice words after the game, which obviously helped me.

“I had a good talk to the gaffer, I spoke to some people about what it’d be like to have me back at Christmas, [they said] it’d be like a new signing and all of that has helped me to be in the mood that I am in now and I’m looking forward to getting back.

“I half-expected a lot of people to say ‘I knew you were injured’ and I expected some negativity, so I braced myself for that, but I haven’t had a single negative message, even the Grimsby fans still message me and wished me all the best in the future.

“The gaffer here has been top drawer to me to be fair. He’s shown so much faith in me, his man-management with me has been top notch.

“Growing up, I didn’t really get much love, so I think when a manager or somebody does show you that love they get that extra bit out of you, and now me, I just want to get back and repay everyone.

“I’m not saying I want to do it for them, because I want to do it for myself, but part of what I want to do is come back after Christmas, score some goals and relish that feeling again.”

The 28-year-old believes that by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and keeping the right people around him, he will return stronger than ever.

He said: “I’m just aiming to get where I was the last time [I returned] and I think by having my smoothie diet and by doing other things I healed a lot quicker than other people thought I would.


“I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, obviously, but I think all those things stand me in good stead so I’m ready for the battle ahead.

“[There’s] loads of life left in me, there’s people out there who have had loads of operations. My mate ‘Coolo’ [Michael Coulson] has had three ACL repairs and he’s still playing for York City, so I look at people like him and I think well if he can do it then I can do it. He’s not born with special powers; we’re all the same, so people just keep driving me.

“It’ll be a tough battle, but I’m relishing it. I’m a fighter. I’ve always been like that. Ever since I was a kid, people have always tried to put me down, where I live, in school, but I’m a fighter,” said the striker."

Although it could be easy to become down-hearted, Hearn is adamant that he will stay positive, and he admits that he takes inspiration from all walks of life.

“It’s difficult because I could sit there cursing my luck and say how unlucky I've been, but then I think to myself how lucky am I?” continued Hearn.

“I’ve got a great family. I’ve got beautiful little girl. I’ve got a nice car to drive around in. I’ve got a regular income. I’ve got great friends. I’m getting to know people all the time. I’ve just got a lot of positive things and although I’ve had an injury and I’ve had a bit of a setback, I look at other people and some people haven’t got anything.

“One of my mates put something on Instagram yesterday about what Nelson Mandela said about falling, and that every time you fall you have to rise stronger, and for me, I really, really appreciated what that message was trying to say. I could relate to it massively and I’m going to take that in to the rest of my career.”

A full interview with Liam Hearn will be available on Stags Player later today. To subscribe, click here.