Football: World Cup dream a reality for Hannah Wilkinson

Hannah Wilkinson has recovered from knee surgery in six months, in time for next month's World Cup. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Seven months ago, Hannah Wilkinson was enduring one of the darkest days of her sporting career.

The long-time Football Ferns striker — only three Kiwi women have scored more international goals — was sitting in her Swedish apartment, contemplating the end of her World Cup dream.

It was October 4, 2018. The day before, she had torn the ACL in her right knee, for the second time in her career, in a club match. It was cold and grey outside, ahead of winter in the Scandinavian country, and Wilkinson was at a low ebb.

"I was gutted because I thought it was over," said Wilkinson. "I thought, that's me done, for that World Cup."

At 26, Wilkinson was coming into her prime but was going to miss Fifa's showpiece female event. But against considerable odds, she has made it back and was last week named in coach Tom Sermanni's squad for next month's tournament.

"I'm stoked ... it's a wonderful feeling," said Wilkinson. "After everything that has happened, I can't wait for it."

But how did she do it, when last time, it took her at least a year before she was feeling 100 per cent?

"Being the second time with this injury made a massive difference," said Wilkinson, "and paired with the motivation of a World Cup.

"It's been a grind every single day but I've had a dream team to get me back. Credit to New Zealand Football, everything that I needed was there: physios, massage therapists, doctors, psychologists, everything you could think of."

Wilkinson's road to recovery started a week after her injury, with a positive conversation with veteran NZF doctor Mark Fulcher.

"He convinced me that maybe it was possible, that you never know," said Wilkinson. "From there, I thought, 'okay, I'm going to do everything I can to make it'. There were some dark days, but as soon as I had the surgery, it was a relief. That's day one ... it all starts from there."

Wilkinson's knee operation was performed by top Swedish surgeon Dr Par Herbertsson, who has worked with many of their best male players.

Wilkinson returned to New Zealand in November and launched into a rehabilitation programme at the Millennium Institute on the North Shore. She saw steady improvements and was back running three months after the operation but still had to deal with doubt, especially from external sources.

"I'd been working towards this goal and then I would get these messages: 'Oh, so no World Cup for you then', 'Oh, sorry to hear about your injury', 'That sucks, the World Cup is around the corner'.

"I found that difficult to block out. There were media questions as well, [that] would trigger some anxiety."

Time with family helped, as Wilkinson decamped to Whangarei most weekends, completing her conditioning programme up north.

"My dad was always saying, 'you are going to make it'. He's always been positive."

A mindset shift also helped, as Wilkinson began to see her recovery and rehabilitation as an opportunity, rather than a curse.

"I thought I can actually make myself a better athlete. The rehab period ended up feeling like an off-season. Getting that strength base has made such a difference and I feel more explosive."

Wilkinson has been in full training mode for some time and the next step is games.

"The last piece of the puzzle is the confidence aspect and connecting your brain to that joint, and those muscles around the joint again," said Wilkinson.

Her return is vital. Wilkinson's pace and physicality can trouble any defence and she gives the Ferns a cutting edge up front they simply wouldn't otherwise have, with 25 goals from 87 A internationals.

"I can't wait for the next few weeks, said Wilkinson. "We all have more experience as players, and with the amount of games Tom [Sermanni] has put together for us, this time, we'll be well prepared."

The Ferns have matches against the United States, Mexico, England and Wales in the next month, ahead of their World Cup opener against the Netherlands on June 12.