Former Wycombe Wanderers midfielder and current coach Matt Bloomfield has explained that despite not being a contracted player, he is still not able to partake in contact training.
The 38-year-old hung up his boots in February this year after being advised by medical experts following a series of concussions.
His most recent head injury occurred in the Chairboys’ first round League Cup win against Exeter City in August 2021.
Back in red tomorrow.
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) September 16, 2022
Tickets have now gone off sale - who's joining us at Pride Park?#WYCvDER pic.twitter.com/RUaMd8mbcs
This was off the back of suffering two separate head injuries in the 2019/20 season against Lincoln City at home, and then away at Derby County in 2020/21.
He called it a day after 558 Wanderers games and 40 goals in nearly two decades at the club, but he is enjoying his new job being part of Gareth Ainsworth’s backroom team.
He said: “I would love to go out on the pitch and play, but I don’t join in any contact training just in case because more concussions could cause a lot more issues.
1,006 #Chairboys will be making the trip up to Derby.
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) September 16, 2022
See you there!#WYCvDER pic.twitter.com/eZyi84gpyM
“I’ve been given strict instructions not to risk anything, but I try and get my exercise elsewhere in the gym with running and the non-contacting training.
“One of the decisions I made when I retired was that I would take myself away from the training environment, as I don’t want to be a footballer anymore.
“I won’t lie to you, I never thought I’d be comfortable about the day when I needed to retire from football.
“I was always dreading it.
In 2011, Wycombe captain Matt Bloomfield became the first footballer, and Wycombe the first professional football club to sign the @FvHtweets Charter for Action, launched to unite fans and sportspeople in a common cause to tackle homophobia and transphobia in sport #Pride2021 pic.twitter.com/kyKUxUvQ8W
— Chairboys LGBT+ (@ChairboysLGBT) June 1, 2021
READ MORE: Why is this weekend's match between Derby County and Wycombe Wanderers unique?
“But when it came around, I was calm with it and nothing since has changed my mind.
“I want to be a coach.”
On facing Derby this weekend, he added: “There are high expectations from Derby as they have signed some good players with a lot of experience and have got a really exciting manager in Liam Rosenior.
“We’ve been watching them see what quality they have and they can expose us, but after our win on Tuesday night (against Accrington Stanley), we have come up with a plan to prepare ourselves.”
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