Episode 49

 Recovering from injury, physically and mentally.

Simon Haworth's scored over 100 goals in a career may that lasted 10 years. His style of play, and likeable personality left an indelible impression on the supporters of the clubs he played for. But a horrific injury during a Nationwide Division 2 match between Brentford and Tranmere Rovers in January 2004, cut Simon's career short. 

After being shunned by manager Brian Little, and denied access to the immediate medical attention he required to save his career, Simon walked away from football. What followed was years of anger, and bitter disappointment. Over a decade later, Simon returned to the professional game as a coach under former teammate Micky Mellon at Shrewsbury in 2014. He is now the manager of Northern Premier League side Stalybridge Celtic. 

During today's episode, we talk to Simon about losing his father at a young age, recovering from his double leg fracture, and how he overcame the anger that saw him leave professional football. 

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If you have been affected by any of the themes discussed in today's episode, we have listed some organisations below who are there if you need to talk:

Samaritans 

https://www.samaritans.org/

Papyrus UK

Papyrus Website

CALM ZONE

https://www.thecalmzone.net/help/helpline/

MIND

https://www.mind.org.uk/

The Kaleidoscope Plus Group

https://www.kaleidoscopeplus.org.uk/