Departing Southern United captain Matt Joy can breathe a huge sigh of relief.
He has been cleared of a serious knee injury, which could have jeopardised his place at the Royal New Zealand Police College in Porirua, after landing awkwardly in a tackle last weekend.
Joy will start an 18-week course in Porirua next month before moving to Auckland in May to take up a job with the police.
Before playing his last game for the team against Canterbury United last weekend, he was told by police officials a serious injury would rule him out of the course.
So when he went down with a left-knee injury with 10 minutes left in the 3-1 loss to Canterbury, he thought the worst.
‘‘It took a really good knock,'' he said.
‘‘It went quite dead when I fell on it awkwardly. I was just making a tackle on half way. I was on the deck laying there thinking, ‘Oh, please don't let this be bad'.
‘‘I couldn't do anything and they [Canterbury] carried on and scored.''
Joy, who missed most of last season with a serious injury to his other knee, had it strapped and iced after he hobbled off the field.
However, the knee was just badly bruised and was feeling ‘‘a lot better'' yesterday. Joy said the scare confirmed why his future employer did not want him playing in Southern United's three games early next month, before he heads to police college.
He has played for the Dunedin-based team since 2011, when it was called Otago United, and plans to play football when he is settled in Auckland.
Southern United coach Mike Fridge can replace Joy, and departing midfielder Tim McLennan, in the squad when the transfer window opens between January 5 and 12.
Its next game is against Auckland City in Auckland on January 10.
