Melbourne Victory’s worst fears have been realised this week, as the W-League team confirmed that flying winger Ashley Brown had suffered a reoccurrence of her ACL injury.
The 19-year-old was playing her first game after 12 months of rehabilitation, but disaster struck with literally the last kick of the game as her right knee buckled.
Scans have confirmed a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, with the young starlet set to face another demoralising year on the sidelines.
It is a bitter blow for Melbourne Victory, with the W-League runners-up delighted to have Brown back in the run up to the Round 4 clash against Newcastle Jets.
Alas, Brown’s return to the side lasted only 3o mins as she was stretchered off the pitch in tears as stunned teammates watched on.
Sunday’s gut wrenching accident brings to mind the Round 2 clash against Brisbane Roar last season, when the Matilda’s studs caught on the turf at the Veneto Club and robbed her of a year’s worth of football.
The 2011/2012 Westfield W-League Young Player of the Year will consult an orthopaedic surgeon in coming days, but has already taken to social media to express her disappointment and to thanks her supportive fans.
Thanks for everyone’s amazing messages of support. Really appreciate it, however unfortunately it is the acl again 🙁 #roundtwo
— Ashley Brown (@AshleyBrown412) December 8, 2013
Victory head coach Dave Edmondson seemed shaken after the game, and fronted the cameras briefly before heading off to check on his injured star.
“To be honest our feelings are just with Ash at the moment, the result is secondary really,” he said.
“We just need to get round Ash, and one or two of the girls are obviously upset as well.
“Part of me thinks today was a perfect opportunity to give her a chance to come back in, get a little bit of confidence, get half an hour under her belt when the game was quite comfortable.
“But then obviously you start second guessing yourself, should I have brought her on later? Should I have given her less time?
“You drive yourself crazy if you think like that but we just gotta deal with whatever it is at the moment with Ash and we got to get around her and support her.
“She’s a fantastic young woman and a fantastic young footballer and we need to do whatever we need to do to support her in that.”
Teammate Caitlin Friend had bagged a hattrick to claim the match ball, but the striker’s thoughts were likewise with her friend instead of the win.
“I think the team’s a bit devastated,” Friend said.
“It sucks because she worked so hard to get back to where she was and she’s such a great player.
“I hope for the best for her and hope it’s not as bad as what we think, but we’re just going to have to get together as a team and move on from it.”