Pain game for Shay despite Saints’ title win

The hugely popular Hamill’s joy at seeing the team he had helped coach turned to pain within seconds as he suffered a freak injury as the final whistle blew in Saints’ 2-1 win over Carniny Rangers which clinched the Tower Blinds-sponsored title.

Shay, who combines his coaching role at All Saints with the managerial job at IFA Championship Two side Chimney Corner, collapsed with what later transpired to be a ruptured Achilles tendon – an injury which will sideline him from football activity until well into the new season.

“It was a total freak occurrence,” Shay told Times Sport.

“I felt a sharp pain down the back of my leg and I automatically thought that, with people running onto the pitch to celebrate at the final whistle, that someone had accidentally kicked me on the leg on the way past.

“I reached down and immediately felt there was a big hole and years of teaching PE told me that something was badly wrong.

“I had gone down in a heap and I think some people thought I had had a heart attack with the excitement – I think they were relieved when it was ‘only’ my Achilles!

“I didn’t get up again and was lifted into the car and taken to hospital – I didn’t get to enjoy one second of the celebrations!

“It was the right course of action because the consultant told me there were about three strands of the tendon left intact – if I had tried to stand up, I would have snapped it completely.

“AT the minute I can’t put my foot on the ground and I’m in plaster around my heel.

“The doctors have already done a bit of remedial work and we’ll continue with that and see what way things go,” added Hamill, who has already had to cancel a holiday to Holland as a result of the freak injury.