THE LIMPING PHYSIO – A Life in Football – Nursing Paul Gascoigne back to fitness

John Sheridan’s book The Limping Physio  -A Life in Football is released by Pitch Publishing on 20th September 2021. John is available for interviews on request. Extracts also available on request. Please email Margaret at pitchpublishing@gmail.com

Veteran physiotherapist John Sheridan has seen just about everything since he entered professional football in 1979 with Luton Town. There he played a key part in the rise of David Pleat’s exciting team, and when Pleat moved to Tottenham in 1986, John moved with him. David left the following year, but John remained in his role at White Hart Lane under David’s successor, the charismatic Terry Venables. John was reluctantly thrust into the spotlight in 1991 when he nursed Paul Gascoigne back to fitness after a horror tackle in the FA Cup Final left Gazza’s career hanging in the balance. Despite playing an integral part in Gazza’s rehabilitation, John has remained silent – until now. For the first time he describes what really happened during this traumatic period and how it left him fighting for his sanity. John speaks candidly about his time in football and reveals how he battled anxiety to enter the harsh world of professional football with a disability.

As a teenager, Sheridan fractured his femur in three places and caught osteomyelitis – an infection of the bone– in hospital. It left him with a limp for the rest of his life. “It was really tough to overcome, mentally and physically, as I was in hospital for a year. You go from being someone really positive to being a bit negative. It taught me so much psychologically and helped me later on in life with the players. It gave me an edge because you understood what they were feeling, you’d experienced something that had changed your life.”

ABOUT JOHN –  John Sheridan was born in Glasgow in 1943.  . After learning his trade as a physio in non-league football, he entered the world of professional football with Luton Town in 1979. Seven years later, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur with David Pleat and coach Trevor Hartley. Despite David leaving the club the next year, John stayed until 1993 and during that time he oversaw Paul Gascoigne’s rehabilitation from a career-threatening injury.

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a professional football club? Veteran physiotherapist John Sheridan has seen just about everything since he entered professional football in 1979 with Luton Town. There he played a key part in the rise of David Pleat’s exciting team, and when Pleat moved to Tottenham in 1986, John moved with him. David left the following year, but John remained in his role at White Hart Lane under David’s successor, the charismatic Terry Venables.

John was reluctantly thrust into the spotlight in 1991 when he nursed Paul Gascoigne back to fitness after a horror tackle in the FA Cup Final left Gazza’s career hanging in the balance. Despite playing an integral part in Gazza’s rehabilitation, John has remained silent – until now. For the first time he describes what really happened during this traumatic period and how it left him fighting for his sanity. John speaks candidly about his time in football and reveals how he battled anxiety to enter the harsh world of professional football with a disability.

The Limping Physio is the fascinating story of John Sheridan and how he became one of the most respected physiotherapists of his generation, in a career that spanned more than five decades. Read and you will discover:

·     How John overcame life-threatening injuries as a child

·     The heartbreak John felt after losing his father at a young age, which meant he would never see what John later achieved

·     How he worked his way up from a production-line job to a career in professional football at the highest level

·     What it was like to suffer abuse from fans up and down the country as he ran on to treat injured players

·     The truth about what happened in the build-up to Gazza’s famous free kick against Arsenal

·     How John often felt alone and isolated during Gazza’s injury battle ahead of a life-changing transfer to Lazio

·     How John helped Luton legend Ricky Hill achieve his dream of winning a major cup final

·     Fascinating contributions from Luton Town and Tottenham Hotspur legends

·    Memories of meeting some of the greatest names in football

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