Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover returning against Central Coast after A-League pitch invasion

Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover will return to the pitch for the first time since he was hit in the face with a bucket during the now-infamous A-League derby against Victory.

The 25-year-old suffered a concussion and required stitches to a severe facial laceration after Melbourne Victory fans stormed the pitch at AAMI Park on December 17.

The derby had to be abandoned, was dubbed the “darkest day in Australian rules football” and led to police charging a number of people, including the man who attacked Glover.

Tom Glover required stitches and suffered a concussion, prompting him to be carried off the pitch by teammates and club officials, after he was struck in the face by a metal bucket filled with sand in the violent pitch invasion of the Melbourne derby earlier this month.

Melbourne City will return to the pitch for the first time when they host the Central Coast Mariners on Tuesday, with manager Rado Vidosic confirming that Glover has passed the concussion protocols for the team.

“Tommy missed the first few training sessions (last week) due to a concussion and he came back and trained in the last two training sessions,” Vidosic said. news corporation.

“He had a lot of support from the players and everyone around him here in training sessions and he looks back (at himself) as normal.”

This is brilliant news not only for City fans, but also for the football world in general, which has been horrified by the scenes that have emerged in the wake of stronger sentiment for the game in the wake of the Socceroos’ glittering campaign in The World Cup.

They were hardly credible scenes as Glover staggered after being hit with the metal bucket, which was filled with sand at just the right time to ironically make out the flares.

The young goalie had a flare thrown in his direction and flung it into the stands, causing the already rowdy fans to go into total anarchy, with approximately 150 people running onto the pitch and throwing objects.

Vidosic, while pleased that Glover has recovered from the stitches and concussion he suffered during the pitch invasion, cautioned that it was quite a traumatic incident.

The police arrested this person, now nicknamed ‘Cucket Man’ after he brought the metal container full of sand onto the pitch during the derby.

“He (Glover) trained very well, and we hope everything is going well with him, but we’ll know a little bit more (Tuesday night) once the game starts,” Vidosic said.

It is a very sad time for everyone involved in football. You only see that on TV, but being in the front row when something like that happens has an even bigger impact on people.

Football Australia (FA) and the Australian Professional Leagues, which runs the A-League, have yet to announce what will happen to the match and whether City will win.

The FA handed down the first round of sanctions for the violence with Victory being banned from selling tickets for home games, with only members with advance tickets allowed to attend. Police have also made several arrests.

Tom Glover, pictured diving for the ball earlier this season, will return to the pitch for the first time since the gruesome scenes in the Melbourne derby on Tuesday when City took on the Central Coast.

The sections behind the goalposts will be inaccessible to fans and fans will not be able to attend away games and further penalties are likely.

The match was abandoned as top-placed City led 1–0 thanks to a goal from star midfielder Aiden O’Neill.

The fourth-placed Mariners present tough opposition to the men in sky blue, who have crushed Sydney FC and Newcastle in back-to-back games.

All that remains is to hope that AAMI Park on Tuesday continues to be a safe space for footballers and fans alike, and that City and Mariners can put on a show and rejuvenate the beautiful game once again.