Stephen O’Donnell’s comeback after the doctors told him he may never play again is nothing short of remarkable.
When the Dundalk captain hit the deck after coming off second best from that unfortunate clash with Shane Robinson of Shamrock Rovers, he knew almost instantly that something was seriously wrong.
O’Donnell needed to be stretchered off the field during the 2-2 draw after and the following morning the surgeons told him that his career was more than likely over.
“I was thinking worst case scenario it’s your cruciate. Doc goes, ‘No, it’s a bit worse than that.’ He said I blew everything out – my cruciate, ligaments, the whole shebang.”
The Galwegian heard the news, but he refused to accept it. He made returning in time for the season’s end, a near-impossible feat, his mission.
https://twitter.com/StephenODonne6/status/461449210567868416
It was a steep incline back to full fitness, but O’Donnell never lost focus. He put in all the hard work and took every necessary step to return for the Lilywhites. About six months after the horror-injury, he reached his goal at the perfect time.
O’Donnell was called upon from the bench in the latter stages of the club’s 2014 title run-in, but he made his first start since the injury in their final day title decider against Cork City. 48 minutes in, Richie Towell played him in and he broke the deadlock with a fine finish.
Dundalk would go onto win the game 2-0 and claim their first League of Ireland title in 19 years. O’Donnell, whose performance that day was enough to earn him the Man of the Match accolade, has a vivid recollection of the events that led up to that career highlight. You can check out the man himself recounting his wonderfully inspirational tale in the video embedded below.
A fitting episode of #PeakPerformance tonight. The focus is soccer, with @DundalkFC's @StephenODonne6 telling his story. pic.twitter.com/T65ncp0byh
— eir Sport (@eirSport) December 7, 2016
