Melton Town boss Tom Manship out for season after knee injury

Melton Town’s pivotal match at top-four rivals Aylestone Park on Friday will not live long in the memory of player-manager Tom Manship.
The professional career of Town player-manager Tom Manship (left) was ended prematurely by serious injury EMN-201103-144351002The professional career of Town player-manager Tom Manship (left) was ended prematurely by serious injury EMN-201103-144351002
The professional career of Town player-manager Tom Manship (left) was ended prematurely by serious injury EMN-201103-144351002

For the second match running against promotion rivals, dominant Town were punished for not killing off their opponents and were held to a draw.

Having been checked by a second-half equaliser from leaders Bugbrooke the previous weekend, Melton let a two-goal lead slip at Aylestone in the final half-an-hour.

Yet Manship saw little of the match as a serious knee injury ended his return to the side in only the second minute.

“It was quite a bad one,” he said.

“It was a fair, normal challenge, I just caught my studs in the ground as someone hit me with their full weight and my knee twisted.”

The upshot was a ruptured knee tendon and an evening in Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Manship will have surgery to repair the damage on Friday and will be out of action for four to six months.

“They wanted to do emergency surgery there and then, but I wanted to go down to London to see a guy I’ve known throughout my career,” he added.

“It’s an absolute nightmare. We’ve just moved house and I can’t move around for work or to take my daughter to football.”

Having seen their manager taken off in severe pain, Town recovered their composure well to take the lead inside 10 minutes through Chis Hibbitt before Nathan Arnold doubled the advantage early in the second half.

The game’s pivotal moment arrived on the hour when Town hit the post and then saw Aylestone break upfield to make it 2-1.

And the visitors’ mood was not helped with 15 minutes left when a contentious penalty decision saw the hosts draw level.

“If we had taken our chances we would have won both of these games,” said Manship.

“I’m disappointed. I would have liked the lads to see out a two-goal lead, but that’s football and they are a very good team.

“Along with Bugbrooke and Buckby they are the best teams we have played and the league doesn’t lie this year.

“But the difference from last season is that we haven’t been beaten in those games.

“This year we are determined not to fall short and we have improved.”

Town stay fourth, but wins in their games in hand would leave them provisionally in second place, just a point behind Bugbrooke.

One of these rearranged games comes next Wednesday at second-placed Long Buckby, the final fixture in a tough run against Division One’s top five.

Melton were beaten by the Northamptonshire side at home in October, but have gone 19 matches without defeat in the United Counties League since then.

“We need to get through these fixtures without being beaten and then we will reassess,” Manship added.

“With all the postponements we will face three games in a week with a squad of 17 which is not easy to do.

“So with injuries, suspensions, decisions not going our way, there is a lot of football to be played.”