Swansea City defender Alan Tate learns the dangers of golf and other perilous stories of salad cream, watching TV and getting married

Injuries are an occupational hazard of football. A slight muscle pull, an awkward landing on the pitch, or a crunching can all be sources of a spell in the sidelines.

However, there are surprisingly are a wide variety of different ways a football player can end up on the treatment table, as Swansea City defender Alan Tate recently proved.

The club vice-captain was involved in a “bizarre golfing accident” according to a club statement, which revealed that he was a passenger in a golf buggy that lost control on Sunday and left him with a fractured tibia of his left leg.

The injury rules him out for up to six months, but thankfully for Tate’s dignity, he’s not the only player to have come a cropper in odd circumstances.

Dave Beasant

The original safe-hands goalkeeper was allegedly the inspiration for Teflon frying pans and he proved this when attempting to hold a variety of condiments in his kitchen. Unfortunately though he dropped the salad cream and tried to save it from smashing by sticking out his foot to break the jars fall. However, it severed a tendon in his big toe and he missed the start of the 1993/94 season.

Steve Morrow

The year was 1993 and Arsenal would spend the majority of the season playing Sheffield Wednesday, but Steve Morrow (grimacing in both pics below) wouldn’t feature in the replayed FA Cup Final, despite scoring the winner in the Other Cup. The unlucky 22 year old was hoisted onto the shoulders of Tony Adams after the match to celebrate his sides victory, but the clumsy oaf dropped him and the match winner broke his collarbone, proving that you should never accept a lift from the former Arsenal captain.

Rio Ferdinand

England’s answer to Ashton Kutcher and the MTV show Punk’d was victim to a self inflicted merk in 2001 after managing to injure himself whilst watching TV. It was left to the embarrassed former Leeds manager David O’Leary to explain why his £18m star defender was unavailable for selection: “He was watching television and had his foot up on the coffee table. He had it there in a certain position for a number of hours … and strained a tendon behind his knee.”

Leroy Lita

I personally love a morning stretch in bed, as it momentarily rids the body of all the aches and pains of the previous day. Leroy Lita also shares my simple pleasure, but the activity should carry a health warning as he pulled a muscle in his leg in 2007 doing this simple exercise. Manager Steve Coppell said: “It is not an injury that should be ridiculed or made light of” but of course he was wrong.

Kasey Keller

As Alan Tate knows, golf can be a dangerous game, just ask Kasey Keller who booked some time on the treatment table even before he got to the first hole, as the American keeper was undone by his golf bag, which somehow managed to knockout his own front teeth as he was pulling it out the boot of his car.

Alan Wright

Aston Villa’s former full-back is well known for his diminutive stature, standing at just 5ft 4ins, but he seemingly wanted to compensate for this with the purchase of a Ferrari. It would however be his undoing as he strained his knee stretching to reach the accelerator. He replaced it with a Rover.

Svein Grøndalen

The Norwegian international picked up 77 caps for Norway between 1973 and 1984, but it could have been 78 had he not collided with a moose whilst out jogging, ruling himself out of an upcoming World Cup qualifier. We’ve all been there.

Paulo Diogo

The Swiss midfielder was seemingly a passionate player, as having assisted a goal for Jean Beausejour in the 87th minute for Servette FC against FC Schaffhausen; he jumped a metal fence to celebrate with the fans. However he excruciatingly caught his wedding ring on the barrier and ripped off the tip of his finger. He was promptly booked by referee Florin Etter for his excessive celebration.

Kirk Broadfoot

Eggs are crap in the microwave. They taste much better cooked on the hob, something which the Rangers defender learned the hard way. The Scotland international was inspecting two eggs he’d poached in the microwave, when they squirted boiling hot water at him, scalding parts of his face. In between fits of giggles a club spokesman said “It may sound funny but it was quite a serious accident. Kirk’s face was quite badly burned.” If you’re also an imbecile in the kitchen help is at hand here.

And finally, I have failed to find any confirmed reports of this but it’s too good to ignore, as Stalybridge Celtic keeper Mark Statham reportedly missed a game in 1999 after getting his head trapped in a car door. Brilliant.

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