Josh ‘back’ from horror injury for Milk Cup

Lining up in the Dale Farm Milk Cup is a dream for many teenage boys.
Josh Corry, from Ballymena, a member of the Co. Antrim Milk Cup U-18 squad, is pictured with Deputy Mayor of Ballymena, Cllr. Hubert Nicholl. INBT28-246ACJosh Corry, from Ballymena, a member of the Co. Antrim Milk Cup U-18 squad, is pictured with Deputy Mayor of Ballymena, Cllr. Hubert Nicholl. INBT28-246AC
Josh Corry, from Ballymena, a member of the Co. Antrim Milk Cup U-18 squad, is pictured with Deputy Mayor of Ballymena, Cllr. Hubert Nicholl. INBT28-246AC

But playing in this year’s competition seemed a million miles away for Josh Corry earlier this year.

The Ballymena teenager is part of the County Antrim squad which will embark on the pursuit of glory when the competition kicks off next week.

But the Slemish College student expected his involvement in the tournament to be limited to spectating from the sidelines after missing virtually all of the football season with a serious injury.

“I picked up a back injury in October last year. Both my physio and myself thought it was just a muscle problem but it came back again.

“I went for an MRI scan and when the results came back, I found out I had a stress fracture in my back.

“I had never heard of that injury before but I figured the words ‘fracture’ and ‘back’ together weren’t a good combination!

“In the end, it kept me out for about seven months.

“I managed to get back a bit ahead of schedule and the Milk Cup trial was pretty much the first football I had played, so I didn’t think I stood a chance of being selected.

“I just gave it my best shot and also worked hard on my fitness in between and I was delighted when I was picked.”

For Josh, playing in the Milk Cup won’t be a new experience – he was part of the Antrim Junior squad which made history last year by reaching the final of the competition, where they lost on penalties to Everton.

“No-one really expected us to be the first County team to reach the final of the main competition but we just took the games as they came and didn’t look too far ahead.

“We won our first game, which is important, and that set us up for the games which followed.

“Reaching the final was brilliant, especially for me with the final being played in Ballymena – I had a lot of friends and family watching the match and I remember hearing a cheer when my name was read out, which gave me a big boost.

“Playing in the Milk Cup is a great experience – the best of my life so far.

“Even taking part in the opening ceremony was a great memory, walking into a packed Coleraine Showgrounds.

“I’ve been watching the Milk Cup since I was about six or seven years old, so to get the chance to play in it is amazing.”

After last year’s heroics, Josh steps up to the Premier panel a year young, meaning he will still be eligible to play in that age group again next year.

“It’s probably after what happened last year but there is almost a higher expectation on County Antrim this year but our boys will deal with that.

“Our first game is against County Down, at Ballymena Showgrounds and we also play Chertanovo Football Academy from Russia and Vendee from France in our games before the knockout matches start.

“I think after watching the World Cup this summer, so many people want to be playing football so to get the chance to play in a tournament against teams from all over the world is brilliant,” adds Josh, who is looking forward to the new season with his club side Crusaders.