How does a semi-professional football club deal with an injury crisis?

When the full-time whistle blew on Billericay Town’s 2023/24 season, manager Gary McCann and 1,400 Blues supporters looked on, grappling with what might have been. Just three points separated their team from a playoff spot – a bitter pill to swallow for a club with promotion aspirations. The campaign’s cruellest moment came in March, when Wingate & Finchley’s Joseph Boachie struck in the 99^th minute to condemn Town to their seventh defeat in eight matches. It was a dagger to the heart of a side desperate to escape the Isthmian Premier League – yet one factor stands out as the catalyst for it all.

For McCann, who took charge in April 2023, and head physio Mark Findley, it was another chapter in the reality of life at a semi-professional football club. Since their arrival, McCann, Findley, and the management team have faced every challenge the non-league scene can throw up: fixture congestion, star players poached by higher-league clubs, and the constant weight of expectation from an ambitious fanbase. All of this, while working within the constraints of a semi-professional budget. Yet amidst the challenges, one stands out – an injury crisis.

“I did honestly feel it played a huge part in us coming up short last year – the health of our squad,” says McCann, who at times had seven or eight first-team players watching on from the stands.

In a squad of part-time players juggling football with full-time livelihoods, injuries aren’t just physical setbacks; they’re season-defining events. For a club with aspirations beyond the seventh tier of English football, even the absence of a couple of key players can derail weeks of hard-earned momentum. McCann’s words underline a harsh reality: injuries don’t discriminate, and their timing can shape an entire campaign.

For Billericay Town, the most common injuries mirror those picked up higher in the pyramid – muscle strains, lateral ligament sprains, and of course, the dreaded ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) rupture, suffered by striker Ade Azeez in December last year. But as head physio Findley explains, the semi-professional environment brings unique obstacles.

“At this level, because they’re not full-time athletes, they don’t do as much as maybe a full-time pro can dedicate themselves to in a recovery aspect, so you do pick up more muscular injuries,” Findley says.

The players on Findley’s treatment table aren’t just athletes – they’re hairdressers, tattoo artists, scaffolders. Their day jobs often leave little time or energy for the detailed recovery programmes that professional players take for granted.

Even so, McCann and Findley attempt to mitigate these limitations. “This is a competitive sport, you’re always gonna pick up a few injuries across the season, some more avoidable than others,” Findley admits, however, he continues to highlight how Billericay implements a structured approach to injury prevention and recovery.

Training sessions begin with yoga, stretching, and mobility exercise, designed to prevent strain and fatigue, while post-match, Findley says, “I personally get in contact with the players and send them recovery protocols based on research, including hydration, stretching, and flexibility programmes.”

Despite these efforts, some injuries remain unavoidable. A late tackle or awkward landing can sideline a player for weeks, and with a squad capped around 18-20 players, McCann must constantly adapt.

“You can’t legislate for impact injuries,” says the Billericay boss. "You have to duck and dive at times, you have to explore the loan market, and you have to hope that the players you’ve got in your squad are capable of stepping in."

McCann’s words showcase the balancing act that is semi-professional football, an act that requires creativity, and immense resilience, to master. However, injury recovery isn’t just a physical challenge, but a mental one too. For McCann, keeping injured players integrated with the squad is important.

“We make them travel to away games most of the time, and we include them in all of the pre-match preparations,” he explains. “You’ve got to mentally keep them aligned because some injuries do see them derailed from a mental perspective.”

The Billericay boss further emphasises the importance of inclusivity and camaraderie within the squad, ensuring injured players remain just as involved as those on the pitch. The club puts on weekly meals after training, allowing the entire squad, fit or otherwise, to connect.

“It’s our job as a management team to keep them focused,” adds McCann. “We are very engaging in keeping the group tight and together, and injuries don’t prevent that – they don’t stop that.”

At a semi-professional club, injuries also influence recruitment, and McCann, reflecting on lessons learned from previous seasons, was determined to avoid the same problems again this campaign. “When we recruited this year, we made sure we took a younger or mid-age group on – players that had been healthy and on the pitch for most of their careers,” he explains.

This shift in recruitment focus was no coincidence. As injuries hampered the promotion push last term, signing talented but injury-prone players is a gamble McCann no longer feels Billericay can afford. “It’s a huge risk – you might be getting a very talented player, but we pulled away from that type of individual this summer,” he says.

Still, recruitment remains a juggling act, and one that is tricky to perfect at the semi-professional level. With no transfer window to navigate, non-league clubs can, in theory, sign players at any time. However, McCann points out that finding the “right type of player” at short notice isn’t straightforward.

“The difference with Billericay Town is the expectations are through the roof,” he says. “Everyone’s expecting us to challenge and be a top side, so we make sure that when we do add, we add the right type of player – not just tactically, but mentally.”

Despite efforts to mitigate injuries, Billericay Town have continued to grapple with setbacks during the 2024/25 campaign. Key players such as Jack Paxman and Aron Pollock remain sidelined, while captain Matt Johnson, midfielder Frankie Merrifield, and striker Ade Azeez have only recently returned to match fitness. The sudden impact on squad health has forced McCann to act swiftly.

“Of late, we’ve had to scramble to get a few bodies in because of how quickly it altered with regards to health within the squad,” McCann explains. Yet, amidst the challenges, there have been silver linings. “A couple of youngsters have come to the forefront and done brilliantly, which has been an absolute blessing.”

Regardless of these setbacks, Billericay’s recovery process remains a collaborative effort, even in the face of inevitable disagreements. Manager McCann admits he challenges Findley when the team requires reinforcement but trusts his expertise.

“Mark’s the boss on that front,” McCann explains. “He’s in control, and he makes the decision.” Although the process can feel like a “three-way battle” between medical staff, management, and the player, Findley insists following medical protocol is paramount.

“There’s a process to healing and being fully fit for a ninety-minute game, not just five minutes,” he outlines. “I always give my opinion straight to the management team and the board,” Findley continues, mentioning he remains honest and professional even when it’s not necessarily the good news everyone wants to hear.

McCann also credits the understanding from the board during last year’s injury struggles. “When we had that terrible run of results last year, the board understood we’d had a terrible injury crisis leading into that,” he recalls.

Emphasising the need to stay connected as a club, McCann admits, “I always try to make sure supporters and the board are kept very much in the picture,” as the Billericay boss often provides squad updates via club social media, post-match interviews, and programme notes. This unity from the board, staff, players, and supporters is vital for any semi-professional club looking to climb the pyramid, and something McCann has continued to emphasise during his time at Billericay Town.

As the club navigates the 2024/25 season with a clear recruitment strategy in place, detailed recovery protocols, and a continued focus on team resilience among challenging times, the Blues are well-equipped to handle challenges coming their way. For McCann, Findley, and the players, these challenges are not insurmountable. With a continued focus on pushing the club in the right direction, Billericay can overcome these challenges and write a new chapter, one where promotion isn’t just a possibility, but a reality.

Ultimately, you can never prevent injuries within competitive sporting environments, but under the guidance and leadership of Gary McCann and Mark Findley, Billericay Town is an excellent example of how a semi-professional club deals with an injury crisis.