Goalkeeper Matt Gould says he’s on his way back to recovery after sustaining serious head injuries that cost him any chance of earning another All Whites call-up for the two-match series against Australia.
The 28-year-old ‘keeper suffered concussion and a fracture of his eye socket when he was knocked out cold playing for his English club Altrincham in August.
Coming for a cross, he collided with a Bromley player and was unconscious for a minute and a half.
He cut his face open, split an ear and was taken to hospital where they feared he had suffered a brain bleed.
“I didn’t know much about what was going on,” the former Hawkes Bay United player told Altrincham’s TV channel.
Since suffering the injury, Gould was unable to train for three weeks but he’s resumed training in mid-September, and is wearing a protective mask as a precaution.
Gould said he was disappointed that the injury ruled out any hopes of another selection to the All Whites, for whom he got his first call-up in January.
He was a back-up ‘keeper to Oli Sail for New Zealand’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica, and for the warm-up friendly against Peru.
In the interview, Gould said he thought New Zealand had a good set of young players coming through, and possibly even better younger players behind them.
“Hopefully, this is the start of New Zealand becoming a footballing nation,” he says.
After leaving Hawkes Bay United in 2014, Gould has played for English and Scottish clubs while undertaking qualifications as a coach.
He currently combined goalkeeper coaching with being Altrincham’s shot-stopper, playing in the National League, which is England’s fifth tier of competition.
Gould’s interview
Enjoy this 13-minute interview with Matt Gould:
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