In March 2025, Caversham United goalkeeper Holly Robinson suffered a serious injury as she collided with an opposition player in an attempt to claim the ball. Coming out on the worst side of the one-on-one challenge, it was Robinson’s teeth that took the brunt of the impact.
With little recollection of the incident itself, Robinson recalled the ‘search party’ on the pitch for her four front teeth, and with them by her side, she was quickly rushed to hospital.
After easing her way back into football at the start of this season, Robinson told Football in Berkshire that although she had her reservations about returning, it was the noise of other’s opinions that was louder.
‘They thought I was mad,” she joked, “but I had the mindset that if I didn’t go back as soon as I physically could, I probably wouldn’t have.”
“After my first game back I questioned whether I was doing the right thing,” Robinson revealed. “It is only now [halfway into the season] that I have started [to rebuild trust], but even so, it comes in fits and starts. The more time I have to think, the more I find it impacts me.”
“From being a goalkeeper that used to charge into any kind of tackle and rush out to reclaim the ball a lot more confidently, I am definitely a bit more cautious now,” she admitted, describing how this incident has changed her approach to her position.
However, the consequences of this injury affected the Caversham keeper far beyond the pitch.
“Your teeth and smile are the first things that anyone sees,” Robinson said. “In the weeks following the injury I rarely left my house. I was very hesistant meeting new people or going to events, and so I found that I was more so impacted off of the pitch.”
Recovery also brought unexpected financial realities, and as it became apparent that the implant surgery for replacement teeth was not covered by her own, nor the team’s insurance, Caversham United chairman Paul Gutteridge reached out to set up a GoFundMe page.
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Seeing how the football community came together to support Holly and donate to this GoFundMe page, she struggled to find the words to express how thankful she is to everyone. “I knew football was a community before, from being involved in it, and this just reinstated that.”
What followed Robinson’s injury reflected not only football’s sense of community, but for Robinson, it served as a reminder of how seriously players take the women’s grassroots game.
“Even at this level women’s football is competitive, us going into challenges as we did.”
Nearly a year on, Robinson admitted that “one of the hardest parts is how long it has taken to resolve”. Still with temporary implants, it could be yet another four weeks until permanent teeth are fitted.
