LEWIS VAUGHAN’s medical history is so long his default setting is to ensure his interviewer has enough time when asked to recount it all.
The Raith Rovers striker, now 28, has played the long game to be where he is right now, battering in the goals for an entertaining Kirkcaldy outfit as they bid to beat Dundee United to automatic promotion and the Championship title.
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That’s seen him persevere despite no fewer than FOUR ACL injuries, two on each knee.
Yet here he is, having banged in 13 goals in all competitions for Ian Murray’s side – who lead Jim Goodwin’s big spending Tannadice men at the top of the table.
In an interview for the SPFL’s new ‘No rest for the wicked’ podcast series with former Celtic kid Sam Wardrop, Vaughan said: “The first ACL injury happened when I was 18 years old, it happened out there, Stark’s Park.
“It was my right knee, I went to change direction and that was it.
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“I done my ACL, it was my first injury in football.
“I had never had an injury before that. It was a bit of a shock to be honest.”
You can only imagine, but things were to get worse rather than better, as he injured the ACL in his left knee three years later – then do the right one again on his first match back.
Vaughan continued: “My second wasn’t til three years later, three years later I did my left side.
“I felt like I had evened myself up if that made sense, I felt like I would come back and be strong.
“I thought that would be it but little did I know, away to Forfar I had just scored actually and my right ACL went again, third time.
“It was my first game back, I had only played 30 mins as a sub, that was probably the toughest one to take.
“Then I was back for a year and a half I think and my fourth one went.
“That was actually in training, back to my left side so two each side, and since then I’ve been back fit, back flying and scoring goals.”
Wardrop replied: “I’ve done one and I found that challenging, four is unbelievable.”
Vaughan, who paid tribute to ‘family, friends, the boys in the changing room’ for keeping him going during the low points, replied: “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done to be honest.
“Everyone as hard as the first one, really difficult.
“But the time was going to pass anyway so I think I would kick myself anyway if I never done anything about it.
“For me the time was always going to pass.
“I still believe I could play at a high level. Thankfully I’m reaping the rewards.”
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