Met Police’s Chris O’Flaherty may be one kidney short, but he believes the loss is only going to make him a better player.

The 23-year-old winger is back in training after finally having the organ removed on October 8 following an incident in a pre-season match against Corinthian Casuals in August.

The former Whyteleafe youth team graduate was forced out of that game after an elbow to his side aggravated a long standing kidney problem that had been left undiagnosed for five years.

Doctors in Sutton only recently pin-pointed the problem – a dangerously enlarged kidney – four weeks ago and were forced to act due to a high risk of septicemia that would have left O’Flaherty fighting for his life.

And, far from blaming the opposition for his loss, the City-based office worker reckons the accident has actually done him a favour and ended five years of injury hell.

“I’ve had a pain in my side – off and on – for about four or five years, but despite seeing several doctors they’ve never got to the bottom of it,” he said.

“I was admitted to hospital after the game against Casuals but they couldn’t work out what was wrong. I had a lot of blood in my urine.

“I saw a specialist and had more tests and they told me the kidney problems I’d been having were because the kidney was dangerously enlarged.

“To be told it would have to be removed was a bit of a shock.

“I guess if I hadn’t got injured in that game then the problem may never have come to light until it was too late, so I’m quite lucky from that point of view.”

The former John Fisher School student started his football career at Whyteleafe before spells at Worthing, Croydon Athletic and Walton & Hersham, ahead of his switch to Met Police mid-way through last season.

O’Flaherty, who lives in Warlingham, helped his current team to the Ryman Division One South title in May.

The Blues, winners of six of their past eight matches after beating Kingstonian 2-1 on Wednesday, are currently riding high in the Ryman Premier League table.

And the midfielder reckons he can help make it two successive promotions for the club – providing he can get his place back in the starting line-up.

“Since I’ve been out the boss Jimmy Cooper has brought in a number of new players, so there is competition for my place,” he added.

“In Tony Finn, Sam Hurrell and Craig Brown, we’ve got three of the best wingers in the league now, so it is going to be tough to get back in.

“Once we are at full strength I think we’ll be unstoppable.”