IF THERE were awards handed out for bravery then young Darwen goalkeeper Aiden Wignall would be at the front of the queue.

For the 18-year-old shot stopper not only bounced back from a life threatening injury but went on to play for his league representative side.

He has now set his sights on breaking into semi-professional football and is planning to have trials with Clitheroe at the end of the season.

It has been an amazing comeback for the St Mary's College student who suffered an horrific injury when he fractured his skull in a sickening clash with a Nelson forward in October 1997.

Aiden lay unconscious for five minutes and was taken to Burnley General Hospital before being transferred to Royal Preston Hospital were he under went an emergency four hour operation.

Doctors said that if he was of slighter build, then he could have died.

Aiden had to have 17 staples just above his left ear and was in hospital for a week.

But remarkably, not only did Aidan make a full recovery, he was back playing football just five months later.

In a Sport Extra report last month, reporter Dave Hinksman described Aiden as being as 'brave as lion' which prompted his mother Susan to write in to say just how brave her son was. She said: "Mr Hinksman probably didn't realise how true that statement was. I had to write to the paper after the article because it brought it all back to me the anguish that myself and the family went through and just how brave Aiden is to be back playing in goal."

His manager George Moss said it was typical of the player the way he came back.

He said: "He was a terrible injury and touch and go for a while. A lot of people thought he would ever play football again but he has done very well to get back in such a short time.

"Naturally he was a little cautious when he came back and he played his first few games out just to get his confidence back. But this season he has been brilliant and getting a call up for the Philanthropic League under 18 side just shows how far he has come."

Aiden, who will travel to London to play for the Blackburn Rovers stewards side later this month, admitted that he wanted to get back to playing as soon as he came out of hospital!

He said: "If I had my way I would have come back a lot sooner. The injury he always in the back of mind but I am just glad to be back playing again."

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