Ben Gladwin: Swindon midfielder 'trusts' his body again
- Published
Ben Gladwin has been a permanent fixture in Swindon's midfield so far this season
Swindon Town vice-captain Ben Gladwin says he is enjoying the most consistent period of his career after being blighted by injuries.
Gladwin, 30, was on the verge of retiring due to a long-term knee injury before re-joining the Robins in 2021.
The midfielder has played a full 90 minutes of every League Two match this season for the club.
Swindon have only lost three of their opening 14 matches this campaign and are seventh in the table.
"If I'd have spent more of my career fit and probably playing how I am now, which has changed slightly, I probably would have had a different career," Gladwin told BBC Radio Wiltshire's new Swindon Town podcast, Talk of the Town.
"I'm enjoying it, I trust my body again, I'm in a team and under a manager that trusts me so it's all good."
Gladwin first played for Swindon between 2013 and 2015, making 57 appearances.
He left to sign for Queen's Park Rangers, but twice returned on loan in 2015 and then again in 2017.
However, after joining Blackburn Rovers that summer he played only 11 times before suffering two micro fractures in his knee.
He remained on the sidelines throughout 2018 and 2019 and only returned to playing after joining MK Dons the following January.
Two operations failed and twice he was told his career was over.
"At Blackburn it was kind of so bad that it was like, I have to retire," Gladwin said.
"Eventually I got myself going again and I went to MK and I enjoyed a fairly good spell there but I was in a lot of pain quite a lot of the time.
"The summer before I came back [to Swindon] I called it a day, really.
"I just had another knee operation and was still in a hell of a lot of pain, too many painkillers, not able to do things with my little boy."
An opportunity to restart
Gladwin returned to Swindon last summer and scored four goals in 27 matches during the last campaign. He signed a contract extension in January.
"Swindon came calling, said that there was really no pressure on whether it worked out with my knee or not, they'd like to give me the opportunity to try again," Gladwin continued.
"Obviously - thankfully - things have fallen into place and I'm in a different place than I was then."
Gladwin credits the strength and conditioning team at the County Ground for getting him back playing consistently, particularly in ensuring he keeps up his regular gym work to prevent re-injury.
A change in mindset has also helped.
"I was programmed [at other clubs] to think constantly about my knee," he said.
"Some of us unfortunately get stuck in a cycle of thinking about it over and over again and you obsess about it and I was definitely guilty of it.
"Whereas now it's just something that is part of me. I have to manage it and it's all right."