David Goulden speaks to Rovers striker Wilson Waweru as he returns from a lenghty spell out with injury

Eight months since he sustained a serious injury which has kept him sidelined from competitive action, Wilson Waweru is preparing to make his long awaited return in a Sligo Rovers shirt.

September 2024, 70 or so minutes into what transpired to be a league win over Dundalk at the Showgrounds and the striker fell to the ground in the middle of the pitch having challenged an opponent for a high ball. Thinking it a minor knock, Waweru continues but is finally overcome with pain in his ankle from what turns out to be a ruptured achilles tendon. 

Waweru had arrived from Galway United the previous winter having spent a successful year’s loan at Cobh Ramblers were he netted 12 times. Spotting Wilson’s raw talent during his time in Cork, Bit O’Red boss John Russell made Waweru a Rover one week before Christmas 2023. 

He would go on to score ten times for Sligo in his first season, including an FAI Cup hat-trick against Cobh Wanderers. He was also rewarded for some fine midsummer form when he won the SSE Airtricity/SWI Player of the Month award for July 2024 having found the net six times in as many games, before the injury ended his season prematurely. 

Finally declared fit to play this week by the Rovers medical team, Waweru could possibly make his return this Friday against Drogheda United at the Showgrounds. 

“When it happened, it just felt like the defender had kicked the back of my leg”, Waweru recalls. 

“It felt just like an awkward landing. I initially thought it was just a kick and it would ease but the pain didn’t go away. When I tried to move my leg after a while it was seriously painful. I was hyperventilating, was stretchered off and they sent me straight to hospital so I knew I was in serious bother.”

Foot and ankle specialist Stephen Kearns stepped in here and after surgery under the orthopedic surgeon, Waweru faced long days essentially doing nothing. First off, there was approximately ten weeks of crutches, cast and pain-killers as the recovery process got under way.   

“It was tough because I wasn’t able to do anything but sit around all day to let it heal. After that it was regular meetings with the surgeon to assess how things were. Fortunately, after my last meeting with Stephen, he was delighted with how well it had healed and he was happy for me to do exercises on it like going on the bike or just mobility stretches.”

Finally, it came to rehabilitation time and some sort of physical work with the club’s medical team before running and ball work was gradually introduced. 

“I was in with James (O’Donnell) and Ray (Finan) doing the rehab and that was tough for seven or eight weeks because there’s a mental battle there. I was coming in every morning and it was just one on one sessions for an hour and then I’d go home and then to the gym to work on strength. This went on for two or three months and it wasn’t easy staying away from kicking a ball. 

“I gradually got a feel for running on the grass and slowly the ball work was added but it felt like it took a long time. 

“Once I was happy to join the team again, I got back into small passing drills with them and getting contact. The gaffer was happy at this stage to involve me more and more as time went on. 

“It’s difficult to explain how the ankle feels now. It doesn’t feel the same but it’s not going to stop me. There’s still a lot for me to show and I can’t wait to showcase it.”

Waweru returns with Rovers occupying the division’s bottom spot. But having watched on and studied from the sidelines, he knows the current squad has more than enough talent to lift the club up the ladder in the coming weeks and months. 

The energetic forward is hoping to get involved on Friday evening as Rovers host league leaders Drogs at the Showgrounds. He is expecting the sort of challenge any in-form team would offer, but is also confident Rovers can take something from the game. 

“We’re a new group and with that it can be difficult to gel”, he continues. “But so far and I think you can see this in all the games, our performances have been really positive. We have been very unlucky in a lot of the games but there’s no doubt in the group that we can improve our results in this round of games.

“I love to score goals and that’s what I want to do. I got in that rhythm last year just before I got injured, I’d been scoring regularly in crucial games and I’ve no doubt I’ll start doing that again. 

“It’s going to be a massive game for us on Friday. Drogheda are a good side and they’re top for a reason. But I think the fact we’re at home in front of our supporters, there’s no reason why we can’t pick up three points and I’d certainly love to play my part.”