FOOTBALL: Turley's itching to get back

8:00am Saturday 16th August 2008

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Oxford United's No 1, Billy Turley, says the injury which is keeping him out of the start of this season is driving him mad!

The experienced U's stopper, widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in the Conference, has been sidelined after surgery on his shoulder at the start of the summer.

He has high hopes of helping United mount a serious promotion challenge this campaign and is desperately frustrated that he's been having to watch from the stands as the team have started poorly by losing to Barrow and Weymouth.

"It was driving me mad pre-season and when you're watching the league start it's even worse," he said.

"I didn't go to Barrow, because I was training by myself, but I went to the Tuesday night game. I was kicking every ball and it's so frustrating for me . . . I love playing football and I've never been a good watcher of it."

But Turley hopes to be back within a month - depending on what the specialist says when he returns to see him on Monday.

"The operation went well and the recovery's going well," Turley said "I'm just itching at the bit now. I'm lifting weights and the shoulder feels strong.

"They recommend six months from the time of the operation and when I see him it will be three months and three weeks.

"But I'm sure, when he sees me and sees how strong it is, and how much work I've done on it, I'll be able to come back a couple of months early.

"It was about four months before the end of the season that I did it. But it was only when they opened me up that they could see how bad it was - and, sod's law, it was the worst-case scenario.

"It was frustrating, but it needed to be done because, to be fair, after that last one at Ebbsfleet, I don't think I could have played another game anyway.

"I couldn't throw the ball. I threw the ball out about six weeks before the end of the season and, in hindsight, I felt the shoulder come out again.

"I did it on the Thursday, I think, and we played Burton on the Saturday and I struggled in that game. It was really sore.

"It's taken three months' healing time because the surgeon had to cut a tendon from my shoulder blade right through to my shoulder joint.

"He had to do that to get into the socket, so he had to actually fuse that to make it shorter.

"The last three weeks has been stretching my tendon in my arm, that's been a bit sore, but I've got the movement back in it now and, fingers crossed, it goes well on Monday.

Manager Darren Patterson was being cautious. "I think we're looking at more like four to six week," he said.