SAM Lanahan says he is on the mend following a trip to hospital after he suffered a nasty head injury during Dorchester’s 1-0 defeat to Hereford on Saturday in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division.

Lanahan suffered the injury, believed to be concussion, in the 72nd minute and was substituted two minutes later for Dom Panesar-Dower before later being stretchered off to hospital where he had numerous scans.

Lanahan said: “I collided with the keeper’s elbow I think having looked at the video and the photos. He has come through with his elbow protecting himself and he has caught me in the left temple.”

“I have seen it, I was running at quite a bit of pace actually. It was not a nice collision but I just went to ground. I went to get back up, I actually didn’t ask for the physio to come on. I was a bit annoyed at the time and then rightly so, she came on and almost told me off for trying to get up too quickly.”

At the time, Lanahan wanted to come back on to the pitch after sustaining the injury, telling Magpies’ manager Steve Thompson to put him back on the pitch.

However, Lanahan said: “As I was waiting for the play to stop my vision started to go a bit blurry and a bit fuzzy on the peripheral then it started to deteriorate a little bit, obviously the symptoms got worse.”

It is a potential maximum of three weeks out for Lanahan but he will be assessed again on Thursday and does not think that will be the case as he hopes to be back in the team for the next home match against Kings Langley on Saturday, February 3.

Sam was happy with the Magpies’ performance in the match against the Bulls despite their 1-0 loss but admitted he was gutted about a missed chance he had in the 63rd minute after a ball through from Gary Bowles.

Lanahan said: “I am a bit gutted that the keeper saved the chance that I had which I maybe should have put away but he just made a quick decision at the time and he has gone the right way.

“I am a bit annoyed about that but the boys performed well. I think most players on the pitch did really well and as a team it was a really good performance we just need to take that into every game now and I am sure we will continue to climb up the league.

Lanahan, referring to title favourites Hereford, said: “We are 19th in the league and we have more than matched them I would say.

“We were a little bit unfortunate that I did not take my chance and I think there was another chance, maybe Ed Bastick’s, that potentially could have gone in.”

Dorchester face Gosport Borough away in the league on Saturday, while the Magpies’ reserves have had their Wyvern Midweek League match at home to Salisbury this evening postponed and are next in action against Poole Town Development Wednesday January 31 (7:45pm).