How stabbing turned into a positive for TNS and former Aston Villa striker Brad Young
The New Saints striker Brad Young says being stabbed three times and needing life-saving surgery turned out to be a "good thing" for his football career.
Young was 17 when he was attacked in a Solihull park in May 2020 and suffered a 12cm knife wound which needed an operation and three blood transfusions for him to survive.
Four years on he is preparing to play in the Champions League qualification rounds for the Welsh champions and says the incident was a catalyst for change in his career.
"I was in a park with my friends and a random group of lads approached me, attacked me and tried to rob me," the former Aston Villa academy player told the PA news agency.
"I fought back, the guy that punched me in my face had me in a headlock and I just felt something weird in my back. I let go, looked down and saw I'd been stabbed three times.
"I called the ambulance and then collapsed to the floor. They rushed me into hospital and they didn't know what was going to happen, one of the stab wounds hit an artery and I lost a lot of blood.
"It was 12cm deep and I needed three blood transfusions, that's what saved my life. Then I had to wait for the surgery and as I was lying there I was asking whether I could play football again.
"At that age I was messing about and going out, I wasn't taking football seriously, I was partying, normal stuff 17-year-olds do, but not normal for a footballer to do.
"If anything it was a good thing and it opened my eyes up for what I really wanted to do and what I had been working all my life to do. It just woke me up and realised I had to stop messing about and knuckle down.
"I am proud of myself."
Young definitely took his second chance with both hands and after loan spells at Ayr and Carlisle, joined TNS in September 2023 and helped the club embark on a record-breaking campaign.
They were invincible in the Welsh Premier Division, where Young won the golden boot with 22 goals, and came within a couple of games of breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest unbeaten run in all competitions.
Their reward for an excellent season is a Champions League qualifier against Montenegrin side FK Decic, with the first leg taking place at Park Hall on Tuesday.
Tougher challenges may lay ahead in their ambitious quest to make the group stages, but 21-year-old Young has belief.
"I am buzzing for it, when I first came this is what I was looking forward to, the big games and hopefully qualifying, that is what attracted me to the club," he added.
"To be fair I didn't even know they (FK Decic) existed, I didn't know anything about them, but since we have drawn them the staff have been showing us videos and we have been doing analysis on them.
"We believe, we have got more than enough good players. You have got to have confidence, I thoroughly believe we can go through."
