Lithgow doesn't bring back the fondest memories for Ricky Guihot, but he'll be hoping his long awaited return to playing at the foot of the Blue Mountains on Saturday can be the start of a successful run for Panorama this season.
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At the start of the 2019 season while playing in the Bathurst District Football men's premier league for the Goats, Guihot fell awkwardly after stepping over a player, leaving him with a broken bone in both his tibia and foot, requiring syndesmosis surgery.
He would sit the remainder of the season out, before coaching Panorama in the first season of the revived Western Premier League in 2020, guiding the Goats to a third-place regular season finish, before bowing out in the semi-finals.
But on Saturday he'll be pulling on the boots for the Goats against Lithgow Workmen's at Marjorie Jackson Oval, the same venue where his injury occurred.
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"The last game I played was actually down there in Lithgow in the first grade competition. That's when I busted my leg, roughly two years ago," he said.
"I've got medical clearance from my specialist and physio and everything like that. They said I'm back where I need to be. They told me I needed to lose a few kilos before I started, so I've that sorted out. I'm pretty keen to play.
"There's a lot of these boys I've had a lot to do with at the Mariners setup and playing with them locally, but I've never had the chance to play with them at this level. This year I do, which is really good."
Guihot said while the Goats' WPL squad is thin, he said the footballers playing this year are quality.
"We've got a good squad, but we've got a skinny squad. We don't have a huge amount of depth but we've got quality," he said.
"If we can get through without too many injuries and get the support and help from our first grade guys when it's needed, we should hopefully be okay."
And while Panorama and Lithgow Workmen's have developed a heated rivalry over the years, Guihot has a huge amount of respect for Saturday's opponents.
"When I broke my leg, the way they looked after me, I'll be forever grateful. They could've all walked off and left me where I was, but they stuck by me," he said.
"Their goalkeeper sat by me the whole time until they put me in the ambulance.
"I've always had a grudge with Lithgow, but it's always the Bathurst-Lithgow thing, but I'll be forever respectful because it was a very classy act."
Guihot believes Jaiden Culbert, Ryan Peacock and Will Fitzpatrick will all have big seasons this year, with last year's coach having big wraps on Culbert, who is returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
"Once Jaiden Culbert is fit, he can be one of the best players in the comp. He's quality, a really good player," he said.
Saturday's match between Panorama and Lithgow Workmen's in the Western Premier League will get underway at Majorie Jackson Oval from 3pm.
- PANORAMA: Beau Yates, Brad Campbell, Jade Hadfield, Jaiden Culbert, Jarvis Callan-McKechnie, Nathan Davis, Ricky Guihot, Ryan Peacock, Tom Dale, Will Fitzpatrick, Jacob Soetens, Jye Fleischmann, Connor Hayes, Jaydon Howarth, James Cox
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