Journalist Robin Johnson missed his first meeting as the Derby Evening Telegraph’s editorial Health and Safety representative – after a freak footballing accident.

There were no spectators and no prizes at stake as the guys from the Telegraph took to the pitch at a local leisure centre for a regular five-a-side kick-about, but for Robin, this match was every bit as important as a World Cup final.

Playing in goal, he excelled himself with one unbelievable save after another.

But after a particularly spectacular save, against a young starlet from the IT department, Robin was left clutching his left hand in pain.

For the sake of the game, Robin declared himself fit to carry on as an outfield player. The others knew little of the pain he was in as he stormed through the hapless opposition defence and covered himself in glory with a second-half hat-trick.

With his vast medical knowledge, Robin decided that no bones had been broken but when the pain intensified through the night, a trip to casualty at 2am became the only option.

After a ‘pleasant’ three-hour wait, the news was not good.

He explained: “It turned out that I had sustained what the doctor called a ‘hyper-reflexive injury’. The ball had struck my hand with such force, it had broken a tiny bone at the top of my hand and torn ligaments as well.”

Robin finally left the hospital at 6.30am, and was due on shift at 7am.

He was grateful when news editor Andy Wright sent him home to rest for the day, but it meant he missed the first meeting of the Telegraph’s Health and Safety assembly to which Robin had been elected as the editorial rep.

He said: “It was pretty ironic that I managed to get injured right before my very first health and safety meeting. Everyone at work was laughing at me.”

He now has to wear a splint for the next two weeks but doctors have warned him that it could take up to six weeks for him to fully recuperate.

Meanwhile he is bravely sitting at his desk typing slowly on his keyboard with one hand.

But he’s not been put off the five-a-side game and says he’ll be back: “Definitely. Although I probably won’t go in goal. I’ll make sure that kid from IT is the goalie and then I’ll blast the ball at him.”

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