Back from the brink (From Free Press Series)

Back from the brink

PONTYPOOL winger Nathan Daniel is ready to put a 22-month injury nightmare behind him and announce himself fit to play for his beloved Pooler again.

Daniel, pictured right, suffered an horrific knee ligament injury in a cup game against Maesteg back in January 2003 and was forced to wear a knee brace for three months. In fact at one stage doctors feared he would never play rugby again.

But the brave 23-year-old refused to give up his dream of pulling on the Pooler shirt again and last Friday night he had his first game for almost two years. He played outside half for Talywain in their Division Three East clash with Abercarn and came through unscathed.

Now he is targeting a return to the Pooler squad and says he is ready for the Bridgend match on Saturday if required.

"The last 22 months has been a nightmare for me but I was determined to play for Pooler again. It has always been my dream to play for the club and that has kept me going during the difficult times," he told the Free Press.

Daniel was only scheduled to have a 20-minute run-out for Talywain but he said he felt good and ended up playing the full 80 minutes. "I've been a bit stiff since the game but the knee has given me no problems. I just hope that I've had all my injuries in one go and that I can now concentrate of playing for Pooler regularly," he said. "I would just like to thank everyone who has helped me during my rehabilitation."