Myles Anderson not fazed by past injuries and the moment that proved it during Hartlepool United's 1-1 draw at Dover Athletic

Myles Anderson of Hartlepool United leaves the field with a head injury during the Vanarama National League match between Chorley and Hartlepool United at Victory Park, Chorley on Saturday 24th August 2019. (Credit: Mark Fletcher | MI News & Sport Ltd)

The Pools defender had mouth surgery during pre-season which sidelined him for the opening weeks of the 2019-20 campaign.

His first start this season came at Chorley where he picked up a problematic concussion which left him unavailable for over a month and left him unable to break into the first team picture.

Despite picking up two head related injuries over the past 12-months, Anderson didn’t shirk anything on his return to the starting 11 at Dover Athletic on Saturday as he literally put his head in where it hurts.

One moment in particular saw the defender bravely head the ball clear while in competition with a high Dover boot attempting to win the ball.

And that summed up his performance well, as he said: “”I can’t allow past injuries to affect my game because putting my head where it hurts is my game when it comes to being brave and getting stuck in.

“If I allow those injuries to change my game or add a bit of hesitation then I’m not the same player.

“Whenever I’m out on the pitch or in training, I know I have to give 100 per-cent and put my body on the line because that’s my job.”

In a cheeky admittance, the defender revealed: “Fortunately the player didn’t catch me on the head anyway, I just made sure we won a free-kick!”