Two thousand screaming fans welcomed Oliver Crankshaw back onto the pitch for the first time in 378 days on Saturday as Altrincham hosted Boston United in the National League North.
The Alty footballer had last featured for The Robins on September 9, 2023 when he ruptured his ACL in a 3-0 defeat on the road against Barnet.
The injury came just weeks into the stint with his new club after Crankshaw had joined from league two outfit, Stockport County.
With the setback dealing him a cruel blow and a long recovery ahead of him, Crankshaw remained positive.
Crankshaw vowed at the time: “It’s not going to be a short or easy recovery but behind the scenes I’ll be doing everything I can to be back playing football at my best again.”
He had surgery the month after the injury and in October started focusing on his rehabilitation.
After the 2-2 draw against Boston United on Saturday, Crankshaw said: “I missed that feeling so much, 378 days later I’m back on the pitch.
“It’s been a long and hard road which hasn’t been easy but I’ve learnt a lot things about myself.
“Thankyou to everyone at the club, who’ve helped me every step of the way.
“The hard work continues.”
Cover image by Noah Shulman-Miller
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