'It’s a mental challenge more than anything:' Blackpool defender maps out his road to recovery from ACL injury

The 23-year-old, who has been at Bloomfield Road since the beginning of 2023, sustained the problem in the Seasiders’ game away to Leyton Orient at the end of February, with a stretcher required to help him from the pitch.

Last month, the ex-Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers defender underwent surgery, and took to social media to reveal that it had been a success.

"This coming Wednesday will be six weeks since then so it’s certainly flown by,” he told the Gazette.

"Nine months is normally the scale people come back from ACL injuries, but it all depends on how your recovery goes. It’s all gone well so far, but it’s a long road ahead.

"I’m lucky that the summer has come now, the timing has worked in my favour a little bit as it means I won’t miss as many games. The hardest thing is watching the lads play and knowing you can’t impact it whatsoever.

"It’s a step by step process. I wake up some days and feel sore and stiff, and other days I feel great. Reaching little milestones is what I’m looking at. I’m back on the bike now, so that felt a bit normal. I’ve been doing some lower leg stuff as well.

"For the foreseeable I’ll be approaching it like that rather than looking at an end goal, because if I don’t reach that, that’s something that can mentally play on your mind.

"I’m just off crutches, and you take just walking around every day for granted. You have to educate yourself again over how to walk. There was also simple stuff like showering because I couldn’t get the skin wet around the knee. You need someone around you for the first three weeks, those early stages were the toughest part.

"Surgery was a big step and I was probably on a lot of drugs and high as a kite when I shared the picture of me after, but I was certainly more positive, the knee was in a better way than it was beforehand.”

Having already experienced an ACL injury at the age of 15, Lyons admits he knew what he’d done straight away in the game at Brisbane Road.

"You just hear a pop and snap- it’s a noise you never forget,” he added.

"As soon as that happens you know something is wrong. You go to put pressure on it and it’s a no go. In my head I knew what it was straightaway.

"I couldn’t go to hospital immediately because we were stuck in the city centre of London, the logistics of things were difficult so I went back on the bus. I felt more comfortable going home and being with my family.

“So many things go through your head, and they’re not very good thoughts. It’s an unfortunate injury that’s unpreventable, they’re just a freak accident. It’s a mental challenge more than anything, you have to prepare yourself and get over that initial shock.

"The lads were brilliant, they got round me and lifted me up, doing stuff to keep my mind off it.”