Episode 53

 Once you’ve had an injury, it’s hard to convince a club that you’re going to be of worth to them.

Before Jason Lampkin had even started his GCSE's, Manchester United had paid Tranmere Rovers a fee to take him to their storied and historic academy. By the time Jason was in his late teens he was on the brink of the first team at Aston Villa, having moved there from United a few years earlier. 

As a youngster his pace, direct style and finishing had Jason dubbed the new Michael Owen, before his 20th birthday however, his career as a professional footballer was over. A horrific knee injury, followed by 12 months of rejection and abandonment, saw Jason leave Aston Villa with both his career and his mental health in disarray. 

In today's episode we get an insight into what can befall a young player beset by injuries, and how damaging that can be to their mental health. We also hear about how Jason recovered from the most difficult period of his young life, including a spell playing football again in New York. 

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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/