Danny Cadamarteri upbeat

Mar 29 2008 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IT TAKES a lot to dampen Danny Cadamarteri’s spirits.

Such is his boundless energy, teammate Malvin Kamara memorably describes the striker as acting like he has skittles and cherryade for breakfast!

But the 28-year-old admits he’s been a touch on the grumpy side because of the knee injury which has kept him out of action since early December.

So it’s fair to assume partner Charlotte and their two-year-old son Bailey-Tye are as keen as Cadamarteri himself that his latest treatment works!

Known as an autologous blood transfusion, the aim is to help the cells in the problem right knee regenerate, therefore avoiding the need for surgery.

It’s a second attempt to rectify the problem without an operation after a procedure known as dry-needling failed.

Blood – “about a syringe-full” – was taken from Cadamarteri’s arm and injected into the knee, with the player having to wait around a fortnight to see if it’s worked

“On Monday, it will have been two weeks since it was done, so I’m hoping there will be some encouraging signs,” said the signing from Leicester, who is contracted for next season.

“It feels a bit better than it did, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to step things up and get back to proper training.”

It’s been a campaign full of frustration for the ex-Everton starlet, who missed the opening eight matches because of a hamstring strain in pre-season.

Having finally made his debut as a substitute in the 3-0 League I defeat at Northampton in September, he scored three times in 13 further appearances, 11 of them as a starter.

His last outing was as a substitute in the 4-0 derby defeat at Leeds, one of his former clubs, although it seems the origins of the injury go back to the game at Tranmere in October, when Town lost 3-0 and Cadamarteri suffered swelling which was treated with anti-inflammatories.

But the player, who after the dry-kneedling, made a failed comeback bid with the reserves against Stoke last month, hopes 2007-08 might yet have a happy ending.

“My dream is for the lads to keep winning and get into the play-offs and for me to be back in time to play at Wembley and score the goal that wins us promotion to the Championship,” he explained.

“If I can’t have that, then I’d at least like to be involved in a reserve match before the end of the season.

“It goes without saying that I’m desperate to avoid surgery, because that would put the recovery process back for a couple of months.

“If the transfusion works, it means I’ll be able to follow my own routine over the summer and be ready to join in with full training on day one of pre-season.

“That’s really important to me, because I want to hit the ground running next time around and show the fans what I’m all about.

“I was hoping that would happen this season.

“I’ve had my share of injury problems, but I avoided any trouble when I was at Leicester, and I had a good pre-season with Town right through to the last friendly at Mansfield.

“The hamstring strain was bad enough, but to suffer knee trouble has been a real downer.

“It took me a little while to find my feet, but I had got a few goals and I was getting used to the systems and the way the rest of the lads play when I found myself on the sidelines again.”

It took Cadamarteri a year to get over a similar injury to his left knee suffered while at Bradford, but he believes the development in treatment and forward-thinking attitude of Town physio Lee Martin, pictured inset, has given him a great chance of returning more quickly this time.

“Both Lee and (assistant) Adam Hirst have been brilliant with me, and I have to admit there have been times when I’ve tried their patience,” said the man who has also played for Sheffield United, Fulham and Doncaster (loans).

“Those two and my family have had to bear the brunt of my frustration, so I’m grateful they’ve stuck with me. In the past, I’ve been under pressure to get back playing as quickly as possible, with the result that injuries have sometimes been aggravated.

“I understand that clubs want their employees to be working, but with Lee being a former professional himself, I think he looks at it from the player’s perspective as well.

“He’s gone out of his way to look into and try out other types of treatment than surgery, and we’re all hoping to avoid that route.”