By Graham Thomas
If Wales need inspiration as they head towards World Cup qualifiers later this season, then the man to supply it could be Rhys Norrington-Davies.
The Sheffield United defender has shown bucketfuls of resilience to get to the point where he may now finally return for his country this weekend.
Two years ago, Norrington-Davies was getting ready to go to the World Cup finals in Qatar, excited at the prospect of being part of a history-making squad.
But Wales’ first appearance at the finals since 1958 passed him by due to a severe hamstring injury which left the then 23-year-old in hospital, watching the games on TV.
That would be only the start of a two-year period of setbacks and self-doubt that left the Aberystwyth-raised player wondering if he would ever play for his club and country again.
Now, Norrington-Davies has finally been recalled to Craig Bellamy’s squad and will be in Iceland on Friday night as Wales resume their Nations League campaign.
“There were some dark days, but at the end of the day, you’ve just got to keep on going, keep on grinding, and at the end of it, you get back to full fitness,” says Norrington-Davies.
“Luckily for myself, I’ve managed to get myself back out there. In training now, I am feeling good, and just ready for the minutes whenever they come.”
But missing out on a World Cup when the Blades defender was one of the in-form youngsters in former manager Rob Page’s squad has clearly taken some toll.
After all, Norrington-Davies had shown in 13 caps he was ready to play a key role at the tournament with an eye-catching goal against the Netherlands in a pre-tournament warm-up.
“It probably hasn’t actually settled in yet, that I did miss out,” he admits. “I probably haven’t realised the opportunity I’ve missed out on – even now, two years down the line.
“At the time, you are devastated when you pick up the initial injury, but your focus then is trying to get back fit and remaining as positive as you can about the situation.
“I watched the boys whilst they were out at the World Cup, and it was a tough one to take. I was thinking that I should have been there. But, in my head, I just wanted to get back fit and back playing as soon as possible.”
The issue for Norrington-Davies was that his hamstring tear was so severe he had suffered nerve damage in the muscle.
It meant that when he tried to exercise during his recovery period after his surgery, he found there was simply no power to match his determination.
“A hamstring injury occurs quite a bit in football, but the complication I had, not so much.
“It was strange. I can remember, I was at the eight-week mark, post surgery, and I was in the gym doing exercises I’m getting told to do and I can remember just not having a great deal of strength.
“I went back to my physio and told him this doesn’t feel right. He said I should be able to do it at this stage and I was like, “well, I can’t!”
“There was no pain, but just no power, no strength. At that stage, we probably realised something wasn’t quite right.”
The result was what should have been a 12-week stint back to fitness became an arduous two-year journey, before Norrington-Davies finally returned for Sheffield United in the Championship this season.
Now, he is about to do the same for Wales, with his opportunities coming in Reykjavik on Friday night, before their second game of the international break at home to Montenegro on Monday.
Wales go into the these games having shown huge promise under Bellamy with a 0-0 draw at home to Turkey last month, followed by a 2-1 away win in Montenegro.
As for Norrington-Davies’s first impressions of being in a squad now managed by Bellamy, he has one word to sum it up.
“Intense” he says. “Training sessions have been good. They’ve been intense. Meetings – he knows how he wants to us play, and he’s just getting his philosophy, his message across to us. It’s been an eye-opener.
“I just can’t wait to play again.”
