Connor Wickham reflects on ‘worst period of my life’ after finally ending goal drought

Wickham had many injuries during his absence and said the repetitive nature of them was the hardest thing to cope with

Connor Wickham’s two-year goal drought was the “worst period” of his whole career, the Crystal Palace forward has revealed.

Wickham bundled in against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup on Sunday, his first goal since November 2016. He did even not play a game from then until October 2018, as he struggled with a long series of injuries. But when he scored on Sunday he celebrated at Selhurst Park with emotion and relief, sinking to his knees and clenching his fists.

“It was bit of joy and relief,” Wickham said after the game. “It was quite an emotional goal for myself as I had a lot of family here today. It has been a very long, frustrating time but I can start to look forward now instead of backwards.”

Wickham had many injuries during his absence and said the repetitive nature of them, meaning he could never get back to fitness, was the hardest thing to cope with.

“It was very difficult, very, very difficult,” Wickham revealed. “It wasn’t really the knee that was mind-draining, it was everything else around it. My little niggly injuries that were four, five, six weeks. It built up a long period of time.”

Having come through this, Wickham feels empowered and strengthened for the rest of his career. He is still only 25 years old.

“It is a period of time I can look back on as I have come out the other end of it,” he said. “It has been the worst period of my life in a footballing sense. But it is something I can build on and know that I have got in the bank to motivate me going forward.”