Young goalkeeper Max Peverell defies the odds every time he takes to the pitch having initially retired with a recurring back injury.
Max has been playing in goal since the age of eight and has made a name for himself as a top young goalkeeper in Stamford, Lincolnshire.
Having made his senior debut in 2020 for Stamford AFC aged 18, replacing former Manchester United goalkeeper Luke Steele in an FA Trophy tie against Kidderminster Harriers, it looked like the only way was up.
As is often the case with football, things didn’t quite go to plan as Max began suffering from debilitating pain in his back. It would take some time to find an answer as to why a young and fit athlete was suffering from an injury akin to someone more than twice his age.
“It was a weird one,” Max told Fen Regis Trophies. “It took months to get any sort of answer from anybody in terms of what was going on.
“I remember playing against Lincoln United; I was taking goal kicks, and I wasn’t kicking it that far and my back was really sore.”
“Stop Playing. Don’t Ever Run Again”
The extent of Max’s injury was severe as he was diagnosed with two slipped discs in his spinal cord. The youngster was given a 30% chance of playing again and was advised to hang up his gloves in order not to cause any further damage.
“It was a bit of a shock,” Max said candidly. “The surgeon said to stop completely, which was a weird moment.
“I’d had some injections into my spine early on in that June. I had my 20th birthday on the first of August and then, on the second of August, I went back to see the surgeon after some injections into my spine.
“He said, ‘look, stop, stop playing. Don’t ever run again. The only thing you could ever do is cycle. That’s it. If you do, you’ll probably need major surgery’.”
That, understandably, came as a tough pill to swallow for Max, who had dedicated the last 12 years of his life to football.
“It was a weird time,” Max added. “I was out for a while, and for a long time I remember just thinking that the last game I played was a 4-1 loss and thinking ‘oh, that’s great…’.”
Turning to Coaching
Whilst in the belief that his playing days were behind him, Max threw himself into coaching – still feeling as though he had much to offer the game. Even now he has returned to playing competitive football, Max continues to coach and is thankful for the opportunities it has afforded him.
“I set up my coaching business and that has given me a real thing where I can just enjoy playing my football,” he explained.
“I got into coaching in a weird way…the first keeper I ever coached was a guy called Stuart, who I still coach now. He was 58 at the time, playing walking football, and just wanted to do it to get better.
“It’s great and I absolutely love coaching Stuart, and when I think about how much has changed since the first time I coached compared to now, it’s been great…I get a different sort of kick from it.”
A Second Chance
Working full-time in football, both on and off the training pitch, Max had come to terms with his premature retirement. That was until a chance meeting with a specialist at a career fair.
“It was funny,” Max said. “He had a look at my spine, did a few things, and told me I shouldn’t be in as much pain as I was through a couple of collapsed discs.
“He said a lack of mobility was putting a lot more pressure on my spine than it should be – I thought that kind of made sense, so I said let’s go for it, I’ve not got much to lose.
“I wasn’t expecting to play again – worst case scenario was that I spend some money and don’t feel much better.”
Max rolled the dice and began, enduring what he called “horrendous” pain in physiotherapy to try and get back to match fitness. Out of the blue, Darren Young, a former coach at Stamford who had just joined Daventry Town, contacted Max with an interest in signing him, despite his injury problems.
“He reached out to me,” he said. “I said, ‘look, I’m nowhere at the minute…I can’t do it.
“Darren said he had a physio…I went to see him, and he paid for it, which was just so unexpected, especially from someone I’d never met before.
“I couldn’t quite believe it, it did something. I actually, felt quite good…I remember training, making a save down to my right, and thinking ‘flipping heck, I can actually move’.
“From there, it just progressed and I was back playing for Stamford Belvedere…my legs were completely gone after 60 minutes, my goal kicks were horrendous, but I got through it and I didn’t have any of the sharp pain or numbness.”
Max signed for Blackstones, playing in the United Counties League Division One, just down the road from where he made his competitive senior debut for Stamford, in the summer ahead of the 2024/25 season. Not wanting to get too far ahead of himself, Max’s goal is to simply get through the season, completing what would be a first full season at senior level.
“I just want to have a full season,” said the Blackstones goalkeeper. “I’m 22 now, my first appearance in men’s football was at 17, and I haven’t had one full season yet.
“I’ve not even played 100 games of competitive football over five seasons.
“For me, it’s just about doing that and just trying to play as good as I can and to be the best I can, but I’m not necessarily looking to progress.
“I’m thankful for the support from my coaches, as well as my mum and dad because without them none of it would have been possible.”
By Aaron Gratton
