Scotland hooker Martin determined to be fit for World Cup opener against Wales despite suffering horror injury

Scotland's Elis Martin is still hopeful of being fit to play against Wales in the opening game of the Women’s World Cup despite picking up a serious foot injury.

Martin tore her plantar fascia — a thick band of tissue on the bottom of the foot — during Scotland’s match with Ireland last Saturday and fear she’d have to watch the tournament from the sidelines.

Now, however, she claims to have received more positive news from medics over her chances of playing.

She said: ‘We got a scan and my media plantar fascia bundle is completely torn, off bone. I got a call, basically, from Flo the physio saying “You’re not going”.

‘Four hours later we went to see a surgeon, because we thought I was going to get surgery. And he said: “Crazy news. When people have extremely bad plantar fasciitis, we actually cut that bundle as a treatment — and your body has just kind of done that for you. So, usually, they have six weeks to recover. But if you can tolerate the pain, you can probably play”.

‘I’m actually a bit of a doer of things so, within those five hours, I planned a shirt presentation, I’d found somewhere to stay, I’d nearly booked trains down to the games, I decided I was going to braid everyone’s hair anyway and come the night before. I had phoned all the people I needed to sort things out with.

‘I hadn’t really had time to have emotions. I just sort of got stuff done. And then that probably hit me yesterday (at the squad announcement) when I saw everyone and I was like: ‘Oh my God’ and just started crying. But everyone has been very supportive and very friendly.’

Head coach Bryan Easson will be hoping Martin recovers in time to play against Wales, with fellow hooker Lana Skeldon still a doubt. Scotland’s most capped player has been made available for selection despite suffering an agonising ankle injury in Cork last weekend when she had to be stretchered off the pitch.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, she would not be drawn on a specific timeline for her return to action — insisting she would ‘see how the next few weeks go’ in terms of her readiness to play.

A potential injury crisis at hooker could open the door for Molly Wright to step in — or even for uncapped Aila Ronald to be called up to the squad.

Martin is adamant it’s a scenario no player ever wants to benefit from, in a personal capacity.

‘I want to beat someone to that position in the best possible condition,’ she said. ‘I want to have 15 hookers who are all driving to be first and I want to win, if you know what I mean. To get on the pitch because of someone’s injury, to me just feels like an opportunity with your arm cut off a little bit.’

The Loughborough Lightning player will now look to manage her own injury over the next ‘three or four days’, and then hopefully return to action in time to play against Wales in Manchester on August 23.

‘We’re just trying to manage the pain by not putting any weight on it for the next three or four days, and then we’ll return to running and hopefully be able to play.

‘We’re not going to worry about it, we’re just going to pretend it’s not there, and then we’ll move past it.’