By Jackie Cahill

Wexford star Andrew Shore hit 1-10 in a club game last Saturday - six days before he's due to undergo surgery on anterior cruciate knee ligament damage.

Shore and Wexford team-mate Shane Tomkins are both booked in for operations tomorrow (Friday) with Consulant Orthopaedic Surgeon Mark Jackson at the Sports Surgery Clinic in Santry.

But Shore, 26, was keen to assist his club Parnells in a senior B championship clash against Naomh Barróg last weekend.

Shore racked up a huge individual tally, the vast majority from placed balls, in a full-forward role.

"I strapped it myself," Shore revealed. "I did a bit of research on what way to hold it and mentally got it into my head that I couldn't jump off, land on or turn on my right leg. So I jumped off my left and landed on my left.

"The team ended up getting the result we needed. I was hitting the frees but got one or two from play as well.

"We were under serious pressure with the club to remain in the competition. We needed a win or a draw and we got a draw. If we win our next match against Round Towers, we're through to the senior B championship quarter-final."

Shore, naturally, will be unavailable for that next assignment and will be sidelined until at least next February after surgery.

In April, he sustained the injury playing for Parnells in a first round championship match.

Shore recalled: "The first ball came in, I was playing corner forward. I went to take it low with my hand rather than the hurl. I missed the ball and went to turn sharp, with my foot facing out the way, and turned in on my knee.

"I did the lot - medial, lateral and the anterior cruciate ligaments."

And Shore admits that he's nervous about the prospect of surgery.

"I am. From lads that I know that have had the injury, most of them have had an issue with it or redone it.

"But I'm also nervously looking forward to getting into the rehab and seeing if I  can come back stronger than before. It's an opportunity to build up general strength in my legs but I'll need mental strength too - the rehab has to be done every day.

"It was severe pain, the most pain I ever felt in my life. There was initial and very harsh pain for four or five minutes and it didn't ease for three or four days. "It was very sore and extremely swollen. I had to wait for a week and a half or two weeks before I could even get an MRI and see the consultant because it was still so swollen. I originally had the operation booked in for May 20 but I decided not to go for that date as Wexford's game against Dublin was in Croke Park the next day and I wanted to go to that. The next available date was June 24."

Shore plans on attending Wexford's qualifier fixture against Offaly on Saturday week, July 2, and he sees it as a big opportunity for Liam Dunne's charges to bounce back from the Dublin defeat.

"We got a decent draw in the qualifiers against Offaly," Shore insists.

"We possibly owe them one from the League game, when they gave us a good hammering.

"The mood will be good in the camp and the fact that we got beaten in the League against them will be a driving factor. Plus it's in Wexford Park, which is a good opportunity."

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