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.
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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:
This story was first published on September 21, 2022.