AS ERIC Skora took his place in the
line-up for Kilmarnock's official team photograph, he didn't have to
be encouraged to smile. The Frenchman, who once thought his football
career was over, credits the club and their fans with saving him
from despair.
"It's been horrendous; even to your worst enemy you wouldn't wish
this to happen. I was out of football for nearly two years and I
couldn't see any end to the tunnel. I thought I'd never come back,
but now I just want a fresh start and to leave all those bad
memories behind me," the 25-year-old striker said.
It's now almost three years since a tackle wrecked Skora's knee not
long after he had returned to Preston after a successful loan period
with the Ayrshire club. Three operations failed to repair the damage
to his cruciate ligament.
At the start of this year Preston gave up on him, tearing up the
remaining six months on his contract. It was Jim Jefferies who
stepped in to offer him a final chance to save his career, with
training facilities, rehabilitation and, ultimately, a contract.
"For sure, there were many clubs who would not have taken a gamble
on me. Six or eight months ago they were all saying he is a good
player but will he ever come back from where he is and play football
again?'" the former AS Nancy man said. "Kilmarnock never had any
doubts. The gaffer always said to me it was only a matter of time to
get back playing and that was a big factor, a big help in me coming
back. Honestly, after the reception I got last weekend when I came
on against Nottingham Forest I do feel I owe so much to this club,
the fans and the manager. I just want to be as good as I can be for
Kilmarnock."
There is someone else Skora feels he owes - his surgeon, Professor
Jean-Henri Jaeger, the Strasbourg-based specialist responsible for
similar work on Zinedine Zidane and Robert Pires.
"I'd seen quite a lot of specialists and they were all negative
about my future. Then I went to see Jaeger and he told me there was
nothing to worry about. He said he would re-do my cruciate operation
and I'd be back playing in a year. That was the first time I really
saw a future in football again. It was like he was giving me a new
contract. I cannot really describe that moment, but it was the last
thing I was expecting to hear."
Returning to Kilmarnock, where he had swiftly earned cult status
during his initial loan period, provided the additional tonic. And a
crunching training-ground tackle from David Lilley finally laid the
ghosts and doubts to rest.
"Last season, when I first came back to Kilmarnock, I was so scared
of getting involved in challenges, I was scared of diving into
50-50s because of what was going on in my head. But then I had a
50-50 with David Lilley in training and he went in really hard. From
then on I knew my knee was fine and I just forgot about it. Normally
David is the worst kind of player to come up against and I would
keep away from him in training, but I was glad of that tackle,"
joked the forward, whose wife Aurelie and 18-month-old son Paolo
will travel from France to move into a new home in Scotland this
week.
Aurelie was another significant factor in his recovery. Back when he
was struggling to come to terms with the thought his career may be
prematurely over, it was she who kept telling him not to give up.
"To quit at 25 is not something you even want to think about, but
many times I found myself asking what next? But my missus was always
supportive. She used to say to me this is what I live for and why
I'd been working so hard, so basically I had to give it one more
shot; if it didn't work out, then it didn't work out and we would
have to move on."
Given the distinctive Scottish sound to his accent, it is amazing to
think he has spent less than a year in Kilmarnock. But the affinity
between Skora and the club goes beyond the inflections in his spoken
English.
"When I first came here on loan I didn't know anything about the
club or the country. But it seemed that people took me to their
hearts right from the start and that has gone both ways. It is a
special relationship I have with the fans. It means a lot to me and
I want to pay that back because everyone has been so supportive
through all the bad times."
Jefferies has no doubt his faith will be repaid. With speculation
still surrounding the future of Steven Naismith, the return to
fitness of players such as Skora and David Fernandez - another
victim of a cruciate injury - has provided a timely boost.
"Anybody with that type of injury, you just never know, but when I
look at Eric I see a massive difference in him now from how he was
at the end of last season. At 25, I've always felt he was worth the
gamble because he has a lot of years ahead of him, he has great
talent and he is one of those players who can unlock things in the
final third," said the manager.
Two successive fifth-placed finishes have proved Kilmarnock have
ambitions beyond their budget. And in their thankful French striker
they have a man ready to pay back what he thinks he owes.
Feb 13th 2008 Skora announces his retirement:
Kilmarnock midfielder Eric Skora has been
forced to retire after failing to recover from injury.
The Frenchman has been struggling with a knee problem for some
time and he has been advised to hang up his boots.
And Killie assistant boss Billy Brown admitted it was a major
blow for the club and the player.
"Eric is having to retire from football because of knee problems
he has had over the last few years," Brown told the Daily Record.
"He has had a series of operations, attempted comebacks and we
thought he was going to make it.
"It is a massive blow for us. He is moving back to France to
start a new life and everybody at Kilmarnock wishes him all the
best."
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Full Name:
Eric Skora