Tom sees light at the end of a long tunnel

Tom Ashton . . . may not be out as long as was first feared.

TOM Ashton, Oldham RL Club's young centre, was all smiles after receiving the latest prognosis on his knee ligament injury.

He was fearing the worst and expecting to be told that he would need an operation, but instead he learned that the injury was not as serious as first thought.

The 22-year-old former Sheffield Eagles player damaged both the medial and anterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee in only his second game for Roughyeds at South Wales Scorpions seven weeks ago.

When he was given the scan results and told that, at best, he would face a long, uphill battle to regain full fitness, he was also warned there was a strong possibility he would need surgery.

That would almost certainly have finished him for the season.

But he has now been told by a knee specialist at the Royal Salford Hospital that with rehab and specialist work in the gym on weights and the bike he might be ready to resume light training in six to eight weeks.

Said Tom: "I've got a partial tear in the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and a full tear in the MCL (medial cruciate ligament).

"I'm told it would have been more serious if it had been the other way round.

"The MCL can heal naturally and because the damage to the ACL is only partial it looks as though I might escape the knife.

"The specialist examined the range of movement in the knee and he was happy at the way things are progressing.

"He doesn't think I'll need surgery, but I've a lot of work to do on rehab and weights before I see him again in a few weeks.

"It was always going to be a long-term thing, but the latest prognosis gives me a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel and it's a massive positive for me."

Coach Scott Naylor has said previously that he is keen to hasten Ashton's return to full fitness because he wants him back in an Oldham jersey as soon as the medical people give him the all-clear.