ON MONDAY we saw one of the bad sides of speedway.

You can’t stop injuries, it happens and it’s just a part of the sport, unfortunately.

People don’t realise that it is such a fast sport and sometimes you just can’t stop certain things from happening.

When you’ve got four riders on the track, all really going for it and doing everything they can to win, it doesn’t always go to plan.

When you’re learning your trade in the sport you do learn how to fall, how to control the bike and how to put it down in a safe way.

On some occasions that really helps but it doesn’t work all the time.

When it all happens so fast sometimes you’re just a rag doll and you just end up getting stuck with where the bike is taking you.

When that happens there’s nothing you can do and you’ve just got to hope that the situation works out OK.

I’ve had a few injuries over the years and it’s always tough to deal with.

I once broke my back and my wrist in the same crash, that was the worst one I’ve had and it was a hard one to get back from.

I was out for about two months before I could get back racing again. I had to do rehab and work with a sports therapist before I was allowed back on the bike.

It wasn’t as bad as it sounds and thankfully it was just one of the lower back bones. I was lucky that it wasn’t any further down as then it could have been really severe and I could have had long-term problems.

Luckily they managed to sort it out and I didn’t need an operation. I just had to stay in hospital for a few weeks.

There was nothing I could do but sit it out and see what the doctors said. It’s tough as you want to be out there but you’ve got to listen to the experts and do what’s best.

I’ve also had other little niggling things, stuff like broken fingers and a fractured knee, but nothing else really crazy.

I’d rather keep it like that and I don’t really want anything else that’s going to keep me out for a long period of time.

Speedway riders are definitely tough guys.

You’ve got to remember that these are 500cc bikes with no brakes that go unbelievably fast.

No one is going to get on one of those unless they have got nerves of steel.