FC Halifax Town: Midfielder Woods glad to be back after suffering from long Covid

Woods missed two games for Town last month, and was substituted in two others, and says he was suffering from headaches, muscle fatigue, a sore back and a sore neck.

For some people, coronavirus can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after the infection has gone. This is sometimes called post-Covid-19 syndrome or “long Covid”.

Many people feel better in a few days or weeks and most will make a full recovery within 12 weeks. But for some people, symptoms can last longer.

“That’s what the doctor felt I had,” said Woods.

“I couldn’t really do the adding up as to how it could be if I felt great for weeks after having Covid, I don’t know what the explanation is.

“It’s been pretty hard going at times, it certainly floored me for a while, but there’s a lot worse that’s happened to people out there so I can’t complain too much.

“I didn’t know I had it against South Shields, neither did the other boys.

“Then we all went down with it and knew what it was.”After that we got back after the two weeks and I felt great for weeks.

“I think it’s similar to post-viral fatigue, where the same symptoms cropped up.

“You don’t know if you can get it twice, it’s so new that no-one really knows that answers, which was quite a frustrating part where I didn’t really know what was going on.

“I’ve not felt great for the last three weeks but I feel better now so I can’t complain really.”

Woods felt it was best to take some time out of the side due to the problem, rather than struggling on.

“I had to come off at King’s Lynn shortly after half-time,” he said. “After that I tried to play a couple of games, the manager asked me to give him as long as I could, but I didn’t want it to be to the detriment of the team that it ends up we’re struggling and we’re a sub down or you can’t contribute the way you’d like.

“So it’s been frustrating because I want to help the team, but sometimes you have to take a step back.

“Somebody put it to me that it’s like having an injury on the inside, so you’ve got to give it the respect it deserves.

“It’s something totally alien to me but it’s a first for everyone.

“Any exercise at all would just floor me and I’d be in bed for two or three days.

“It was weird, you try and do everything right but when these things sneak up on you, you’re not prepared for what to do about it because there’s no research about it.

“It’s a strange one, but I’m on the right road now, I feel much, much better.

“It was all the same symptoms to start with - the head, the back and the neck, the tiredness and the fatigue - but I didn’t have the cough or the loss of taste and smell.

“That was the only difference with this.

“But I’m just buzzing to be feeling fine again because it gets you down a bit, especially when you don’t know what to do to get better.”

Woods says his problems were nothing compared those who have suffered far more seriously due to the pandemic.

“It makes you a lot more aware and think you really need to switch onto it,” he said.

“But I’ve been pretty fortunate in that I’ve been able to shake it off.

“I wouldn’t moan about it because of the amount of people who’ve suffered a lot worse, mins was just totally minor.

“I just didn’t feel great and wasn’t able to play football, so in the grand scheme of things, it’s been absolutely nothing.”