ALUN Rossiter has stressed the importance of allowing Darryl Ritchings to take his time in recovering from his horrific injuries after the Purton teenager was released from hospital.

Swindon Robins reserve Ritchings suffered bruising on the brain and a broken ankle following a crash at the Abbey Stadium on April 3 and was placed under sedation at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for a fortnight before being brought round last Thursday and arriving back home at 6.30pm on Tuesday.

Rossiter is currently unsure whether or not the young rider will want to return to the sport but he emphasised that no one associated with the Robins will be pushing him into a decision any time soon.

He told the Advertiser: “It’s all about time now.

“There’s no rush. You can’t put a time or date on it after that sort of serious, serious accident. He needs to regroup, take his time and go at a nice, steady pace for a while.

“I don’t know what his thoughts are; I’ve not really asked that question. I’m not rushing him.

“He’s just come out of hospital and you don’t know if he’ll want to carry on.

“Most people I know do but that’s a big accident to come back from, in my opinion. It’s slowly, slowly and we’ll just take it day by day.

“I spoke to his mum. She’s the rock behind him and she was pretty happy when I spoke to her. She was pretty stoked about it all.”

Rossiter said doctors credited Ritchings’s age and fitness levels for the rider making a relatively quick exit from hospital and that the 19-year-old is expected to make a full recovery.

He said: “I asked the question ‘is everything okay?’ “Because he’s young and so fit, they reckon that’s why he’s made a full recovery after such a horrendous injury.

“They reckon he’s got a heartbeat the same as Usain Bolt. He’s had a few plates put in his ankle and he’s plastered back up.

“That’s going to be a bit of time but he’s just got to take it easy, take his time and they envisage a full, happy recovery, which is great for everybody.”