EXCLUSIVE: Brave header confirms Seaborne is back
Published 22:18 17/03/12 By Peter White
Dan Seaborne knew all eyes were on him when he jumped to head the ball in a youth game at Southampton.
It was his first competitive action since he was left lying in a pool of blood with life-threatening injuries following an horrific attack outside a city centre nightclub.
He knew this was a defining moment not only in his football career but his whole life.
After a six-month battle for survival, he said: “I was so nervous.
“I struggled to do up my boots and put my shin pads on because I knew this was make-or-break. But after that first header all the nerves and anxiety went out of the window and it was back to normal. It was a great moment.”
Seaborne was attacked last September and rushed to hospital with a fractured skull, blood clots on the brain, brain bleeding and bruising, and a crack through his ear canal.
But the 24-year-old describes himself as lucky, explaining: “My balance mechanism was not affected, but I was told some of the injuries were millimetres away from me never being able to play again. It was that close. I was in intensive care for quite a while and then it was several days later that I realised where I was.
“I still don’t know what happened. Other people have told me, but I don’t know anything from personal memories.
“I have put it behind me mentally and physically, and it has made me a stronger person because I have turned such a big negative into a positive.”
Seaborne finally put a sentence together once out of intensive care and his first question was: “Will I ever play again?”
He said: “No-one could give me an answer, and even up to two months ago no-one could tell me.
“Eventually it was the vision of playing again that kept me going.
“I suddenly appreciated what I had and what a great life it was. Doctors couldn’t give me times or dates, but I was sure I would play again and that helped me.”
Seaborne thanked the medical team who saved his life plus his family and Southampton’s staff and players. He added: “The support from everyone has been amazing.
“The lads at the club told me if I wasn’t going to be part of this again, I would always be a part of them. If I had a setback people were around to help me.”
