ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC defender Tom Grivosti is upbeat after returning from a lengthy injury spell.
In May last year, the centre-back had only just come back from two months out with a hamstring injury when he ruptured his anterior cruciate knee ligament during the Saints’ victory against Dundalk.
On Friday, Grivosti made his fourth Premier Division appearance since the injury and completed 90 minutes for the second time, having also done so in last month’s 2-1 defeat of Shamrock Rovers.
The Liverpool-born centre-back earned praise from manager Stephen Kenny after a solid display in the 0-0 draw with Bohemians, and the former Ireland manager also emphasised the contribution of all those who helped Grivosti get back to fitness.
“I think it’s a real credit to the medical team,” Kenny said. “They have been terrific getting the players back to a level having been out for so long, Tom out for a year.
“They get through 90 minutes and then go again. Sometimes the adrenaline gets you through the first one and I’m sure he had to go to the well there to finish the 90 minutes strong.
“He’s not a player I know well because he’s been injured for a year and I was in the UK a lot, as [Ireland] U21 manager for a good spell and then senior international manager.
“I’ve been to a prolific number of games in the UK and the top games here, but I haven’t seen loads of Tom. But he’s a very good passer, a good defender and a good character.”
Speaking after the Bohs draw, Grivosti said he felt “unbelievable” compared to the physically “tough” 90 minutes he experienced against Rovers in his first full game back.
In Grivosti’s absence, Pat’s still managed to finish third in the table last year, in addition to beating Bohemians 3-1 to win the FAI Cup final.
Missing out on the latter occasion was particularly tough for the 25-year-old and while he was happy for his teammates, Grivosti admits to having “mixed emotions” from that day.
“You don’t feel as part of it as you probably would do, even if you were on the bench,” he says.
“I didn’t play a cup game, so I didn’t feel like I’d won the cup. You know what I mean? That’s sad, but hopefully, I’ve got a chance to [play] in the cup and win it this year.”
Grivosti’s frustration was exacerbated by seeing his teammates struggle at the start of this season and manager Jon Daly losing his job.
The defender came back slightly ahead of schedule, playing the final 23 minutes of a 2-2 draw with Bohemians in May — Kenny introduced him as the Pat’s backline had been depleted by injury and suspension.
He also got some game time in a Leinster Senior Cup match against Bray Wanderers the following week and has been managed carefully since, remaining on the bench for fixtures against Galway and Dundalk before getting another 45 minutes under his belt in the 0-0 draw with Drogheda.
The former Ross County player felt injury problems counted against him at his previous club, so he is grateful for Kenny’s faith in him.
“I had a long-term injury and the new manager came in and we didn’t have a reserve team. So I just worked as hard as I could to not be in that situation where you can’t get in the team as a senior.
“To be fair, the manager has been unbelievable with me. He’s thrown me in before he needed to.
“It’s not easy for a manager to come in when [a player is] injured and to then go and play him but he’s done that with me so I can’t thank him enough.”
While recovering, Grivosti made sure to himself set short-term goals.
“If I ever let myself think: ‘I’m going to miss the start of the season,’ or when I’m going to be training if it was six months away — that’s when you get yourself down and you think: ‘Oh my God, this is going to take forever.’
“For the ACL, you’ve just got to think three and a half months after surgery, you’re going to be running, so that’s your goal. And then a strength test in five months and keep ticking off these little goals, but if you try to think too far ahead, it gets you down.”
He continues: “I stayed in Dublin the whole off-season to do my rehab. I was in training every day and going to as many games as I could to support the lads. You don’t feel as much part of it, but you want to put yourself out there and go to as many games as you can to support the boys.
“Especially when you’re going through a [spell] like our start to the season. You want to feel that you can help the lads off the pitch and support them. If I’m not there, then I’m nothing to do with it. So that’s what I tried to do at the start of the season and now obviously I can turn up on the pitch.”
