Ben Fox hopes to be back for good after 12 months of injury hell

Cobblers midfielder Ben Fox is hopeful that he’s finally back for good after revealing that a misdiagnosis meant he spent ‘three months running around on an ankle that needed an operation’ earlier in the season.

The 26-year-old’s 12 months of injury-related hell can be traced all the way back to February 14th, 2023, when he suffered significant ankle damage during Northampton’s goalless draw with AFC Wimbledon.

Fox was sidelined for the rest of the season but looked set to return for the start of the current campaign, however he was hit with a setback when injured during the pre-season friendly against MK Dons. He missed the next two months but then featured five times in league and cup in the autumn.

However, yet another injury, this time sustained in training before Cobblers played Bolton in October, ruled him out for a further four months before finally returning for a 20-minute cameo against Portsmouth on Saturday. Here, he explains exactly what happened and why it’s taken so long to get to this point.

"It feels great to be back,” said Fox after the 4-1 defeat at Fratton Park. “It's been a long road and there have been lots of ups and downs and I just wanted to come on and make a difference for the team but it was difficult with the way the game went.

"On a personal note, it's been really tough and I've had such a journey to get here and to get my body to this point so it feels like a very big achievement personally to get back on the pitch and feel how I felt. In that sense I'm really happy.

"It was just under a year ago now when I first damaged my ankle in the game against Wimbledon. I had ankle reconstruction but it didn't quite fully heel so I went for an MRI in July.

"It wasn't picked up by the specialists so for three months I was running around on an ankle that needed an operation. I only found out that information in mid-October so I had more surgery in November to clear all that out.

"Ultimately, it's been a really troubling year because I've tried to recover from three injuries and each time I thought I was going to come back fit but I was never going to get back to where I am now.

"I've had some unbelievable support from my family and close friends and they've never doubted that I would get back playing and that's kept me going because it's been a real tough journey. But now my ankle feels good and my body feels good after that 20 minutes against Portsmouth and I'm only thinking about the positives moving forward.

"I've worked so hard and I've put hours and hours into getting myself to this point. My fiancée has been unbelievable – she's a physio herself – and she's also 19 weeks pregnant so I'm feeling on top of the world with that and now hopefully I can stay fit for the rest of the season.”