Ex-Horley Town, Dorking Wanderers and South Park striker Kieran Lavery reveals, 'I was that close to quitting'

Kieran Lavery. Image credit: Simon Roe

He famously scored a wonderful goal for South Park in an FA Trophy tie at Tranmere Rovers in January 2017 but after a knee injury in September last year, Kieran Lavery admitted, “I was that close to quitting”.

The 31-year-old Horsham forward – who scored more than 200 goals in a nine-year spell with The Sparks while playing for Horley Town and Dorking Wanderers too – has been trying to get his football career back on track for the past three years.

But injuries and the Covid-19 pandemic have thwarted him at every turn and it is fair to say if you asked him to pick out one of 19 winning lottery tickets from a batch of 20, he’d be the one holding the duffer.

“I have been very unlucky,” agreed Lavery, who has retained a sense of humour despite trying times.

Trade

A carpenter by trade with his own business, he had vowed last year to give his time in football one more serious push with Horsham after a stop-start couple of seasons.

In reality, that lasted three and a bit games and he explained: “I had a good pre-season and was due to play against Havant in the FA Cup when I twisted my right knee. We had played Bognor on the Tuesday [September 29] when I did it but it was absolutely fine after the game.

“I didn’t feel a thing. I woke up on the Wednesday and I could hardly walk. I tried to train on the Thursday but there was no chance. I went to see the physio. I tried strapping it up and playing but I couldn’t. I was that close to quitting. I had a scan and it came back showing my ligaments were intact and it was water and a bit of swelling underneath one of my fat pads. I had to rest until it, essentially, wore itself down.

“I missed a month and I strengthened it during that time. Then we had a friendly against South Park at a time when nobody had a clue what was going on. Then lockdown happened.”

He has vowed to continue in the hope that he can get another two or three years out of the game at a good level, just as long as his body holds up.

“I can really say from the bottom of heart if it doesn’t happen for me next season then it will be the end,” he stated. “Then I can’t say to myself ‘I didn’t try’.

Business

“I’ve been on and off now for three seasons. It’s not wasted, but the way it’s gone with injuries and the pandemic, I’m not going to lie, I have thought about concentrating on my business completely.

“But there’s always something holding me back. I’ve started the last three seasons so well and then something has happened, an injury, lockdown, whatever, and I feel I want to keep going. I’m going back to Horsham and we are doing a bit of training soon. The manager wants me so I’m looking forward to that.”

Lavery’s ill-luck was highlighted again at Horsham when he explained: “I had decided not to sign a contract because I didn’t know what I was going to do and I didn’t want to commit completely. Then I got injured and then we went into lockdown so I was one of the only players who couldn’t get furloughed.”

The forward – who became a father for the second time in October – lives a stone’s throw from the New Defence ground in Horley and he feels for his former club, who were flying high in the Southern Combination Premier Division before the league was cancelled.

“My personal opinion is football should have stopped three or four months ago and then everyone would have known and could plan for next season,” he said. “With the country as it was, we shouldn’t have been playing football and training. It was a bit obvious it was going to get cancelled again.

“There should have been plans. It happened last year for the first time ever so you can forgive that. But why didn’t the FA or someone have a contingency plan if it happened this year? There was nothing. It was a shambles.

Friend

“I know Juppy [Anthony Jupp, Horley manager] as he is a friend of mine and he wanted to carry on. I understand that. I called it that they would do well. They’ve got a good squad and I think they will keep that squad down there.

“They’ve got a lot of loyal boys. They’ve just had two of their best seasons and they’ve both been cancelled. I would hope they can do it again. From their point of view it’s really frustrating and they have put a lot of work into it. But health is more important than anything.”

Kieran Lavery lives in Horley, Surrey.