Aaron Drinan has shown his toughness and ability to make an impact with the Robins this season, making eight starts for the side. The forward’s at eight league goals now, putting him in a tie for the EFL lead, with all their league action. He did it all after battling back from a grueling recovery. An initial posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury kept him out for more than three months.
Prior to inking his new two-year contract with Swindon, Drinan first undertook a brutal fitness test referred to as “The Run.” This trickiest of trials was the brainchild of gaffer Ian Holloway. This test was the first to be extensive — a major hurdle for Drinan, who needed to show he could regain his form after the long injury layoff.
Drinan’s journey back to competitive football wasn’t so clear cut. He suffered the PCL injury in a training session, which he called a freak thing.
“I was starting to pick up form and feeling in a really good place where I was contributing, then the injury came out of nowhere. I tried to flick a ball in and my knee decided to lock,” said Drinan.
The injury sidelined him in a brace for about seven weeks and kept him in rehab all off-season long. Even with all of those hurdles thrown in his path, he never lost sight of returning to health.
The majority of this season, Drinan featured in double-digits for just ten matches. Yet still, he lit the league on fire by scoring in six straight matches, showing that after a lengthy absence he can still put ball past keepers. He’s already scored enough goals this season to make it his second-best return of all time. The only season better than that is his remarkable 2021/22 campaign, where he scored 16 goals for Leyton Orient.
Drinan’s aspirations for this season are ambitious. Needless to say, he is hell-bent on crossing the league-goal mark of 20, something he hasn’t achieved. After his recent performances, he feels this goal is definitely achievable.
“Personally, if I’m contributing the goals I am to that, then I can set my eyes on getting to 20, which I believe I can,” he stated.
Drinan experienced a minor setback when he missed the team’s 1-0 victory over Newport on October 4 due to an Achilles complaint. He’s had over two weeks since then to heal up. Now, he’s set to help Swindon’s campaign make an even bigger splash.
These results continue to break records and put the forward’s scoring streak among the best in all four highest-scoring divisions. Only Erling Haaland has netted more than him this season. This success is a huge testimony to Drinan’s skill and perseverance.
When asked about his performance and the team’s overall success, Drinan reflected on the synergy between individual contributions and team success.
“When the team’s playing well, you’re more than likely going to get chances. If you asked me at the start of the season, I always knew I could have a good start to the season, but I didn’t probably expect it to be this good,” he remarked.
Through it all, Drinan’s focus is not just on team success, but personal achievement too. It would be the crowning achievement of his career, and he spoke about the importance of winning the league.
“If you can win the league, that’s fully the best season you can have,” he added.
Drinan is currently on a four-game scoring streak, underlining his extraordinary skills. Only as he resurrects himself, getting back up from adversity risen on the journey forth. His story from injury to return of form is inspirational to both teammates and fans.
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