Tears, therapy and trips abroad vindicated as Oliver Arblaster takes emotional Sheffield United step v Norwich City
Tears, therapy and trips abroad - The inside story of Oliver Arblaster's emotional Sheffield United return after 395-day absence
It was only on Tuesday morning, with teammates around him dropping like flies, that Oliver Arblaster began to get an inkling that his Sheffield United return was inching ever closer. The plan was to ease him back gradually, build up his minutes. Twenty minutes here, 30 minutes there.
And then suddenly, on the eve of the midweek clash with Norwich City, everything changed. Sydie Peck was ruled out through injury; Jairo Riedewald through illness. Tom Davies remains absent. Chris Wilder’s starting midfield was suddenly gone.
So the call went out to Arblaster, almost 400 days since he last kicked a competitive ball at Bramall Lane in last November’s Steel City derby win. In the first half of that 1-0 victory, he damaged an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and suddenly his life had been turned upside down.
Tuesday’s return may have been earlier than planned but it was also vindication for the past 13 months, the untold number of gym sessions and sleepless nights and, yes, even tears as a career that had only enjoyed an upward trajectory to that point encountered its first real stumbling block.
Arblaster booked in sessions with a club-connected psychologist to help him navigate the journey. He was given a few periods away from Shirecliffe, away from the gym and away from England, for his mental wellbeing as much as anything.
After an hour, when he was withdrawn as planned with United’s sports scientists no doubt wincing, there was applause from his teammates, a chant of his name from the Kop, a big hug from manager Wilder on the touchline.
Tears, therapy and trips abroad vindicated as Oliver Arblaster takes emotional Sheffield United step v Norwich City
There have been bigger occasions than a Tuesday night at home to Norwich in Arblaster’s career already and, if it continues as many expect, there will be grander still to come. But after what he has gone through of late, not many will have meant more.
“It was today,” said Wilder when asked post-match when he had told Arblaster he was starting. “He played at Man United two years ago, stuck the armband on against Newcastle against those sorts of top players, and he’s a top player.
“I’m delighted he got through. It's been an incredibly tough 12 or 13 months for him, personally. The biggest takeaway is his 60 minutes. He's going to be an important player but yet again I'm going to have to look after him as well from a loading point of view.”
In an ideal world, however, Arblaster would be nowhere near the starting line-up and Wilder will hope for better news on the injury and illness front ahead of this Friday’s trip to West Bromwich Albion.
“Absolutely no chance,” he insisted. “For him, all of a sudden, to get chucked in just shows you, I think, where we were today. Can he play 60 minutes? Yeah, he can. Should he have played? No, he shouldn't have.
“He should have been eased in and had 20 minutes here and maybe 30 minutes there, and maybe another couple of under-21 games going past 60 minutes. But sometimes you just have to get on with it.
“I suppose, when we look back at the result, we've kept an unbeaten run going, although we’re disappointed that we've not added to our total. We'll get players back for Friday and I suppose the biggest positive is that we've got a super player, who’s been out for 13 months, back on the pitch in a red and white shirt.
“Those things are maybe the biggest takeaways, from a positive point of view, from tonight's game.”