The bigger picture

Congratulations to Luke Murphy on his goal in our long-awaited victory tonight

In this day and age mental health is an oft discussed subject compared to maybe a decade ago and it is one close to my heart too after troubles that I have experienced in my past.

Luke‘s celebration tonight after our opener at the Memorial Ground, with both hands raised and both index fingers pointed towards the sky, potentially suggested a nod to a dearly departed.

Now it is not for me to speculate, but if it was indeed a tribute to a family or friend of Luke who is no longer with us then let’s hope that goal has really helped Luke to deal with and process his loss.

Who knows the circumstances he is/has been going through but who’s to say that his loss hasn’t been preying on his mind constantly over however long the situation has been ongoing.

Who’s to say that it has potentially contributed to what, most would agree, have been performances (when he’s been given his limited chances) that don’t quite live up to his previous reputation within the game.

It could be one of a multitude of factors that have contributed to his time at the club being a little underwhelming thus far.

I do feel it is important though to acknowledge how things like loss and grief can impact on a player in ways that we may not be able to understand or comprehend.

Of course most of us have gone through a bereavement in our lives and it is unfortunately just a part of life. We all deal with things in different ways.

But it might be worth pausing and thinking a minute before berating a player in future. You never know what’s going on behind closed doors.

Let’s continue to get behind our boys and the management team moving forward, home and away, as we try to build upon this excellent away win.

We are one team, all together. COYWM!!