Binns in agony over future.

Byline: By ANDY WALKER 

ANDY Binns will wait to see if he overcomes a persistent back problem before deciding whether to start a 15th season with Moseley.

The full-back missed out on yesterday's game against Esher, the final match of his testimonial season, with torn ankle ligaments.

But, while that injury also prevented his attendance at the end-of-season knees-up, it's a back injury that has raised question marks over his future in a red and black shirt.

Binns, 31, has had scans on his troublesome back - believed to be a disc problem - and he admits that the injury has started to affect his life outside of rugby.

The loyal servant, who is deputy headmaster at a college in Wednesbury, has had to limit his training in the last few weeks.

Now the Bradford-born back admits he faces a decisive six weeks that will determine whether or not he hangs up his boots for good.

"I'm not really sure what I'm going to do yet," said Binns. "The ankle injury has stopped me playing this weekend but that will heal in time, but it's the back injury that's the problem. It has affected my rugby and my job at the school because I've been in a lot of pain.

Nuisance

"It's a real nuisance and that will have a big bearing on what I do next season. I haven't sat down with the club yet but the coaches want me to play on next year.

"I'll have to see what happens over the next four to six weeks and see if my knocks clear up and I'm given a clear bill of health.

"I've been for a scan and it looks like a disc problem. I haven't been training as much as I could have done because I've just tried to make it to the end of the season.

"The summer is a busy time for me because we're moving house and I'm getting married but my back is the main thing when it comes to deciding whether I will play next season.

"I've still got the same enthusiasm and I don't know how much I would miss it.

"It's been my testimonial season but I haven't thought that it would be my last, although other people have presumed it would be. It's going to be a big couple of months for me, then I'll see how I feel when it's time for pre-season training."

Should this be Binns' last season, then the ex-captain is forthright in his assessment of his final year at Billesley Common.

"We've suffered with inconsistency, we've played some really good rugby but have failed to follow that up during the last month," he said. "We've been beaten by Sedgley Park and Launceston yet we played the Cornish Pirates off the park.

"If you had asked us at the beginning of the season if we would have liked to have won as many games as we have then we would have said 'yes'. However, we've played well and failed to pick up points in a few games and I think we could have easily broken into the top ten.

"But we've been in National One for two years and it's about building for the future."

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TESTIMONIAL SEASON: Andy Binns