ASANTE SETTING HIS SIGHTS HIGH

LOSING a key player to long-term injury is always hard to take but the loss of Akwasi Asante for nine months to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament is a devastating setback for both him and promotion-chasing Chesterfield.

- Sean Cole

LOSING a key player to long-term injury is always hard to take but the loss of Akwasi Asante for nine months to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament is a devastating setback for both him and promotion-chasing Chesterfield.

And the defining moment – during the second half of an otherwise uneventful 0-0 draw with Boreham Wood – was as innocuous as they come, as the ten-goal Spireites striker recalls.

“I got the ball and I took it inside,” Asante told The NLP. “I think as I’ve gone to push off my left foot, their player’s given me a little nudge. I must have been off balance. It was a bit of a weird one because there wasn’t much contact.”

Asante himself was surprised at the severity of the damage, which will keep him out of action until early 2022 at the earliest.

“As soon as I did it, I knew I was going to come off,” he added. “I thought I’d probably tweaked it, because I did feel a bit of pain, but I never thought it would be a complete rupture and I’d be out for nine months!

“I still can’t believe it now, but I’ve had to accept it. I know I’ll be back stronger. We were flying, so it was a big blow for everyone, but injuries happen in football. It’s a squad game. You have to move on and I’m sure we’ll be fine.”