the sutherland express is back on track! pt 1

Running back Jon Sutherland is a classic example of some one who has been bitten by the gridiron bug.

Following his days as a Flag Football protégé, the twenty three year old Runningback is now very rarely seen off the field competing having played his part in helping Stirling University Clansmen capture this years British College Bowl.

Instead of resting on his shoulderpads, Sutherland was back in action week’s later turning in a record breaking season in the British Senior League with East Kilbride Pirates, who finished runners up in the Division One Championship against the London O’s.

It was just over a month ago as he was looking towards a new season with the Clansmen as their Head Coach, trying to shake off a long term injury picked up at the College Bowl final but was dealt a body blow when he was struck down with the nasty Cryptosporidium bug, which resulted in him spending three weeks in hospital.

“I don’t know how I got it; it was just one of those things,” he said. “I lost half a stone in weight before I was taken into hospital.”

“I could not work out because of the injury and I could not put on weight, I was losing it because of the bug, which was knocking me for six.”

“It was one thing after the other. I think that it has built up from just playing continually, with one season then going into another a week afterwards.”

“I got a week turnaround in the off season. Off season is basically after Christmas where I get the month of January to heal up.”

Now just over a month into the season, Sutherland, a stone and half heavier, surprised many people including some of his team mates when he turned up ready to play in last Sunday’s return match against Caledonian Roughriders.

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