Three years ago Hereford FC midfielder Eliot Richards was given the all-clear from testicular cancer. At the time he thought about giving up football but now he is back to his best.
In an interview with Jon Palmer for GloucestershireLive, Richards recounted that it was August 24th three years ago to the day that he was given the all-clear.
"But coming back I wasn’t given a chance really.
"I didn’t have the opportunity to play one competitive game and was told I had no future there so that was hard, but that’s football.
"I thought about quitting then, but I stuck with it and I’m glad I did.
"Mainly I'm just glad I got through the illness and I'm thankful I’m still able to play. I definitely don’t take anything for granted now.
"It’s been a very tough three years on the field, but now I finally feel things are getting back to the level I was at before my illness."
With Cheltenham Richards was full time but with Hereford it's part time.
"Going from full-time to part-time and having to get a job was a big shock to the system," he said.
"Now I am just enjoying my football again and the main thing was getting back fit.
"I would say it took me a year to recover completely after being given the all-clear, but with work taking over it's only in the past year I’ve felt back to what I was before the illness.
"I was at Merthyr because it was close to home and it fitted in with my work at the time and I've been at Hereford since last November.
"It's been good with Hereford and I have been playing as more of an attacking midfielder, which I enjoy.
"The aim now is to keep the momentum we had last year and try and get promoted again.
"It’s a great club and should definitely be higher up in the leagues."