Anthony Scarabello is confident his days as an outfield player are most definitely over.
The decision was made easy for him after he came off second best during an on-field collision with a Port United opponent last Wednesday night.
Scarabello raced out of his penalty area to try and clear the danger, but all he successfully did was earn a trip to Port Macquarie Base Hospital to have a number of stitches put into a head cut.
He does, however, remember most of the incident.
“I hit the ground pretty hard and knocked myself out and woke up few seconds later. It felt like I’d been hit by a freight train,” he recalled.
“My outfield days are over. That quick 30 seconds put the end to my outfield dream for a while.
“I had a late night trip to the hospital and had a few stitches to sew up a bit of a gash near my ear and then got checked out before they let me go home.”
He admitted it was the worst injury he had suffered on the football field in a 24-year involvement with the game.
“Normally when I wake up the next day with a bit of a headache it’s due to a hangover and it’s self-inflicted from the Saturday night, so it was a new experience for me,” he said.
“But I’m much more comfortable in the box. It’s a lot easier in there than trying to play out on the field.”
Last Saturday night he was back in goals as Port Saints drew 3-all with Coffs Coast Tigers.
Just how much of an impact the head knock had on him picking the ball out of the back of the net is unknown.
“We were down a few players and I felt alright so I did what I had to do,” he said.
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