Big Interview: Nottingham Forest captain Chris Cohen

CARING for a little baby is hard enough. Throw a big one into the mix and you can see why Jess Cohen is so happy to see husband Chris back on the training ground!

It is 14 months since the Nottingham Forest midfielder ruptured the cruciate ligament in his right knee, his third such injury in the space of four nightmarish years.

Bed-bound and largely immobile, Cohen spent the first few months unable to walk, dress or feed himself properly.

But, with newborn son Frankie also demanding attention from his wife, it’s no wonder she was willing her fella back to fitness.

“Jess started calling me ‘the other baby’,” laughs the 28-year-old, who returned to training in November. “And she’s definitely glad to have me out of the house.

“Oddly enough, the day I got injured against Derby was the same day we discovered she was pregnant with our first child. She still has a go at me about that for stealing her limelight.

“She was thinking ‘Everyone can look after me for once’ and then I steamed in again!

“She did become my nurse for the first few months. You literally are limited to lying on your bed and using machines to bend your knee.

“You can’t stand, you can’t cook. You’re very, very limited and you need someone to help. Living away from both our families, that fell to Jess.

“She was brilliant – it’s quite a big deal for someone to go from living with a sportsman to basically being a carer and it must have been tough for her.”

Double act: Chris Cohen and son Frankie

That all stopped with the arrival of Frankie. Yet, with nothing but time to kill, Cohen wasn’t complaining.

“It was great to have Frankie as a bit of a distraction from football,” he explains. “It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself, but it puts things into perspective when you suddenly have this person to look after.

“I have a wonderful job. I earn good money. So, stop worrying about yourself and think about the people around you.

“The best thing about being injured was that we got to share those early months with Frankie a lot more than if I’d been playing football.

“I didn’t realise how much hard work it is looking after a baby. I was able to give my wife a chance to rest and for me to spend time with my son.”

So, did he use that gammy knee to cry off nocturnal nappy-changing? “No, no,” he insists. “Well… I tried it for a little while but I didn’t get away with it!”

Earlier this year, QPR‘s Ale Faurlin – another player to suffer three serious knee injuries – spoke of how he couldn’t bear watching football during his gruelling 14-month recovery.

For Cohen, an intelligent, perceptive Essex boy, who has played in almost every position in nine years at the City Ground, the opposite was true.

“I’ll watch any game, any level,” says the former West Ham trainee, whose injuries have restricted him to just 72 appearances over the last four seasons.

“Mind you, my wife doesn’t enjoy it so much.

“With all the injuries, I think she’s fallen out of love with it a little bit and she makes me sit in another room these days. I’ve been trying to get in as many Championship games as I can, just to learn as much as I can about opponents.

“If you can’t better yourself on the training ground, you can at least keep the brain ticking.

“Of course, I completely understand the other side. Sometimes, people get injured and don’t want anything to do with football. It’s just too hard to watch.

“And being out is tough. When the same thing keeps happening, it’s a mental grind. But I’ve got a lot to be thankful for.

“On a personal level, I’ve been under contract the whole time. I’ve not had to worry about my career. I know I’m being looked after. The chairman has sent me to the US to see a world-leading specialist in knee rehab. I’ve had hundreds of  messages of support.

“And, every time you start to feel sorry for yourself, you think about all the really bad things happening in the world, especially in recent weeks. Compared to that, what have I got to worry about?”

Action man: Cohen working hard to jump back into the Championship fray (Photo by Nottingham Evening Post / Mark Fear)

Cohen is eyeing early January for his comeback.

“I always set myself a goal, a date,” he says.

“As soon as the fixtures came out, I picked one out and said ‘Right, I’m going to come off the bench in the last minute of that one. We’re 2-0 up, and I’ll get a big round of applause’.

“Unfortunately, I’ve had a few setbacks which have altered that a bit, but we’ve got an FA Cup game in January and that’s my new target.”

For Forest fans, it can’t come soon enough. Injury-hit and transfer embargoed, Dougie Freedman‘s struggling Reds are crying out for the kind of calm assurance and tactical nous that won their erstwhile skipper multiple player-of-the-year awards.

Not that Cohen – whose contract expires next summer – is under any illusions that past deeds will count for much when he returns.

“You do become a better player when you’re injured,” he laughs. “Mainly because people forget your bad games and only remember the good ones!

“At the same time, I know people say ‘Will he be the same player?’ But I genuinely believe I’ve returned from the last two injuries more mature and more complete.

“Dougie’s been very good. He’s insisted he’ll decide when I’m ready and ease me in. Before, I’ve probably rushed back a bit too soon and done myself no favours.

“There’s no guarantee I’ll walk back into the team. I need to prove I’m an asset, not a liability. But I believe I can.”