Small Steps

The last couple of weeks have seen my recovery take some small but significant steps forward.

Greetings from Madrid!

There is light at the end of the tunnel at last. As we enter spring, my life is somewhat starting to return to normal.

Here’s a round-up of a pretty significant few weeks as I continued my recovery from my ankle injury.

Back to Work

17th March saw me return to my day job in the classroom for the first time since my injury at the end of January. I’m pleased to report that the vast majority of my students were pleased to see me again, although one did say that if he’d known I was coming back, he wouldn’t have bothered waking up from his siesta. I’m pretty sure he was joking, or at least I hope so…

Starting back a few weeks before the Easter holidays has meant a lot of work, with end of term exams needing to be set and marked and second term reports written, quite the challenge given that I’ve only taught about half of it. But it’s been good to get back into a regular routine again. The first week back was the most challenging, with me having to get caught up with where the classes were and also on the physical side of things as I was still hopping around on my crutches. Thankfully, my boss arranged lifts for me to and from the academy where I work, so I didn’t have to brave public transport on my own just yet.

Another Match

After the weather and a half-marathon had thwarted my two previous attempts to go to watch Unión Adarve, it was third time lucky on 23rd March when I was able to use the bus network to get within easy hopping distance of their ground at the Polideportivo Vicente del Bosque. The travelling wasn’t too bad but the steep steps up to the stand weren’t really scalable, so I settled for a pitchside spot, leaning on the fence for support, which I actually prefer even in regular times. The bright sunshine breaking through the clouds as Madrid’s seemingly interminable March storms finally drew to an end was just the icing on the cake.

Unfortunately, the action on the pitch wasn’t really worth the wait as Adarve drew a blank against Tenerife B. After a fairly dull first half, they did their best to break the deadlock in the second, hitting the woodwork no fewer than three times as luck was clearly smiling on the men from the Canaries. A point is better than nothing but ultimately it does little to benefit Adarve in their ongoing battle against the drop. With five games left, they’re occupying the last of the automatic relegation places and have a three-point gap to bridge to the playoff spot above them and five to guaranteed safety.

Walking Again!

The day after my trip to the VDB, I had an even more important appointment just a stone’s throw away at Hospital La Paz. I’d been there on Friday for some X-Rays and if the prognosis was good, I’d been told that I could put weight back on my left ankle and start walking again. I could barely sleep on the Sunday night through a mixture of nerves and excitement.

Fortunately, it was good news! My ankle has healed up well and all that remained was to arrange an appointment to have the screws removed from it at a later date. Then, under careful supervision of the doctor, I took my first step with my left foot in nearly two months - and it felt weird. Putting my foot on the ground again after so long brought about a feeling akin to pins and needles in it and the ankle hurt a bit, but that was to be expected. I managed to make it over to the bus stop to make my way home and through an afternoon of work with no ill-effects. The following morning I went out on my own for the first time since that fateful day in January and took a short walk to get some coffee. By the end of the week I was feeling much more comfortable walking around and as the doctor had suggested, I was able to get around at home only using one of my crutches.

Out of Town

Another major landmark for me was always going to be my first journey out of the city for a game. Fortunately enough, at the end of my first week back on my feet, an excellent opportunity presented itself. A chance to go and see Villaverde for the first time in 2025 and revisit Galapagar after three years.

Fifth v sixth in Tercera Group 7. If either side won, they would finish the weekend in third spot. But given I’d not seen Galapagar win in four previous matches and my winless run with Botti is now approaching 12 months, what were the chances of that?

As it turned out, slim to non-existent. A second successive 0-0 draw for me as Botti maybe shaded it on chances, but all-in-all, a point apiece was a fair result for both these playoff contenders. Perhaps they’ll meet again before the end of the campaign with a place in Segunda RFEF at stake?

But the main point of the day was being out and about again, getting out of the city for some fresh mountain air and meeting up with a couple of familiar faces for some football, chat and some refreshments. And it just so happens that this weekend, I’ve got the wonderful prospect of an all-day Sunday Día de Fútbol Modesto to look forward to!

That sounds like the perfect subject for another newsletter!

Until next time…

All the best,

Andrew