Danny Hodgson: Brain-injured footballer's priority to learn to walk again

Danny Hodgson, who is undergoing rehabilitation, said there was "light at the end of the tunnel"

A brain-injured footballer has said "every day is a challenge" to try and walk again.

Danny Hodgson, originally from Cleator Moor in Cumbria, was left in a coma after an unprovoked one-punch attack in Perth, Australia, in September 2021.

Speaking to 9News Perth, the 26-year-old, who spent 186 days in hospital, said he was determined to recover.

The youth who attacked him was jailed for three years and eight months after admitting grievous bodily harm.

Danny Hodgson (centre) was playing for Australian side ECU Joondalup when he was attacked

Mr Hodgson, who played football for Western Australian side ECU Joondalup, fell backwards and hit his head on the ground, causing a severe brain injury, after the attack at Perth train station.

His attacker is in juvenile detention and will have to serve 22 months before he can be considered for early release.

Mr Hodgson said: "Every day is a challenge, the main thing now is to learn how to walk again and I'm improving rapidly.

"There's always light at the end of the tunnel.

"You've just got to brace yourself and just set your mind that you are going to get through it."

His parents Nicola and Peter Hodgson wanted their son's attacker to be jailed for a minimum of 10 years

Mr Hodgson was treated for a bleed on the brain and a fractured skull.

He spent weeks in the intensive care unit at Royal Perth Hospital before being moved to a rehabilitation hospital in November.

His family want offenders convicted of unprovoked attacks to get tougher jail terms, and in the case of Mr Hodgson's attacker 10 years.

'Knocking down barriers'

His mother Nicola Hodgson said: "The crime needs to match the time and it's just not. This unprovoked attack broke our family, literally broke it to pieces.

"We are literally putting putting the pieces of our life back together every day. It's never going to be normal."

On her son's progress, she said: "It's amazing, it's something we didn't think we were going to see, we've told him he can do it and here he is knocking down barriers and making me proud every day."

Danny Hodgson spent 186 days in hospital after the unprovoked attack