‘It hit me that what happened was quite scary’ – 31 year old returns after Somerset Park fear

Deniz Mehmet and his teammates were relieved to see him return for pre-season after an abrupt and unsettling absence from the previous season. Five minutes before the end of the season’s final league match, the 31-year-old goalkeeper was stretchered off at Somerset Park with an undisclosed condition. Deniz revealed that he had collapsed due to a viral infection. He informed the website:

“After that, I went to the hospital in Ayr for blood tests and an ECG to see what was going on.” There were a few issues at the moment, but I went to see a specialist later to ensure everything was in order. It was a combination of not feeling well that night and taking additional coffee to get me through the game, which obviously wasn’t working. I just recall feeling progressively worse. It wasn’t a good feeling to not realize the gravity of the situation at the moment.

“When I told my family and friends later, and after the third or fourth time telling the story, it dawned on me that what happened was pretty frightening for everyone watching. I had no idea what was going on and was just hoping to feel normal again. Thankfully, I’m feeling better now, and it’s fantastic to be back.

“I felt lethargic and slow for 24 to 36 hours. It exhausted me, and I didn’t get home until four or five a.m. That took it out of me, and it continues to play in the back of your mind while you absorb it. I’ve been completely great since, and the blood tests have come back normal. They basically stated that it was viral, therefore there are no underlying difficulties, thank God.”

The keeper, who is now in his fourth season with the team, attempted to self-diagnose with energy drinks and extra coffee, exactly like he would if he had cold or flu-like symptoms.

“I just recall not feeling fantastic during the warm-up; I just felt weak. When halftime arrived, I felt a lot worse. I began to feel as if I was going to be ill all the time, and as the game progressed, I became dizzy and lost vision as it became increasingly worse. It just became too much at the time, and I had to go.”

Max Little (pictured above) came on to see the match out and Deniz was consoled by the fact that if he was going to be unavailable it was a good point of the season for his misfortune to hit.

“If you want to find a positive, it should happen in the final game of the season when we can’t get promoted or finish up in the play-offs, and we can’t be relegated. It was arguably the finest game to receive it, but it sums up our entire season for something so drastic to happen after all of our injuries. It was nice that I was able to get away quickly for a short vacation and relaxation.

“To be fair, the same day I landed, I went across the road from Glasgow Airport to the clinic and had an extra ECG done to check if I needed to be watched. The doctor was pleased with what he observed and stated that he was fairly certain that it was viral, thus everything was fine.

With Max Little’s release Deniz’s only pre-season partner has been 15-year-old Thomas Margetts, and while he is well regarded and has represented his country, the addition of another goalkeeper is absolutely essential. Meanwhile, the young goalkeeper may appreciate being part in first-team football on a daily basis and seeing what it’s like to progress from academy football.