Some things are just bigger than football. We get so caught up with the fortunes of that little white ball on that big green pitch, so enraged if it crosses the painted line at one end, so euphoric if it does at the other.

So angered we become at the blowing of a referee’s whistle and so devastated if the ultimate outcome is not what we had hoped. Evenings, weekends even, can be ruined by a 1-0 loss, torn apart by an opponent’s late winner and it can feel like the world depends on that 90 minutes on a Saturday afternoon.

All of that, though, pales into insignificance when talking to Ian Felgate. The former Kings midfielder, now a member of the club’s coaching team, has recently recovered from cancer and asked to do this interview to shine a light on the issue that threatened his life and destroys millions all over the world each and every year.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, 395,181 people in the UK were diagnosed with the disease in 2021 - the latest year for which data is available. Of those, 168,873 died.

That’s 463 people a day. 19 an hour. One new death from cancer nearly every three minutes. And that’s just in the UK.

They are alarming statistics. And Ian worried he would add to those numbers when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2018 - a form of blood cancer affecting the body’s lymphatic system and fighting its own immune system.

He speaks of surprise upon the initial discovery, disbelief at how someone who looked after himself so well could be subject to such a cruel lack of fortune.

“I was as fit as a fiddle - road running, football, golf. You name it, I played it. So it was kind of a shock to the system when I was told by the consultant.

“It started with an ache at the back of my neck, which I thought I had hurt running. Which led to blood tests, a few biopsies and then eventually being told I had the ‘C word.’”

Unsurprisingly, there were unbearably tough times in the two years before he got the all clear in 2020. He describes a five-month period which included six chemotherapy sessions and 10 straight days of radiotherapy as a “blur”, and credits his family for getting him through it.

Not much remains clear in the mind from that spell, he says, other than the numerous hospital appointments and endless medication. Eighteen tablets a day, he remembers, joking: “I was like a walking chemist!”

“If it wasn't for my wife, Lisa, and my two girls, Erin and Arla, I don’t think I would be here.

“They did everything. They got me up in the morning.

“They saw the worst of it, from losing my hair, losing 3 1⁄2 stone in weight, being violently sick everyday, being poisoned to make me better.”

He recalls how support from around him got him through his darkest moments, admitting: “Not going to lie, I did sit on the end of the bed and think ‘I can't do this anymore!’

“It did leave me in a very bad place, but family, friends and the football community, even old team mates reaching out with calls and messages of support, was a massive boost of positivity to get me through it.”

So where does football sit in all of this? After all, it remains a large part of Felgate’s life, having played here for three seasons and, before that, down the road at Leverstock Green.

A get out, perhaps? An escape from the trauma he was facing and an opportunity to reintegrate himself and build his confidence as he began to win the fight and recover from the disease?

“There’s a quote: ‘football is 90 minutes where you can forget about all your problems’. It’s so true.

“I was coaching at the time I was diagnosed and when I was in remission a good friend of mine Kevin Godbold asked me to help him at Leverstock Green.

“I was reluctant at first as I had anxiety from being stuck indoors for months but I got involved and never looked back. Two years at Leverstock Green, four great years with another great mate Steve Hutchins at Bovingdon and I am here now with you guys.

“The social side as well as the coaching is vital in any sports teams, creating friendships and making memories goes a long way.”

Back at the club for whom he made 149 appearances in a spell ranging from 2008 to 2011, and with his health in a good place, Ian is enjoying life.

“I’m loving it, to be back at the club I called home for many years is brilliant.

“It’s a bit weird being on the sidelines and not on the pitch but Steve [Heath] and Joe [Sweeney] bringing me in over the summer motivates me to help have a part in getting the club back where it belongs.

“We have a great bunch of lads and backroom staff who are capable of achieving this.”

His advice to today’s players is to embrace every moment, leave nothing behind in what is a notoriously unstable career.

“I stopped playing when I was 26 through injury but today’s football is completely changed from when I played. Since I’ve been coaching you realise how many players don’t realise how short your career is at any level, make the most of it but enjoy it at the same time.”

Alongside football, Ian is passionate about giving back to the causes that helped fund the research behind his recovery, hoping to contribute to further advancements that can control the frightening figures mentioned earlier.

“Since my recovery I have raised over £20k in charity events - a 72-hole golf challenge, mud runs and I’m running a half marathon next year, hopefully raising more for these vital charities.”

His overriding purpose in talking out, with this interview the first time he has opened up on his battle publicly, is to get through to others who may be in a similar position to what he was.

Speak up, is his message, encouraging anyone struggling to find him and ask for a chat. He’s also keen to promote the fantastic work done by many charities, of which the contact details for some are listed at the bottom of this article, and finishes with a stirring message.

“I was a fit, healthy husband and father of two girls. Don’t take things for granted, you never know what’s round the corner.

“I was 32 when diagnosed, walking in to have your chemo and you're the youngest person in there by at least 30 years was the reality check of how serious this was.

“Don’t hide. Talk to someone - family, mates or someone on the phone. Support and positivity is the major factor, without those I would have struggled.”

Macmillan Cancer Support - 0808 808 00 00
Cancer Research UK - 0808 800 4040