Something was wrong — or at least not right. Stephen Darby was feeling weak during training sessions. His speed and his stamina were fine, but power and strength were not. He could not generate any distance on throw-ins and now, driving home from training, he had a sudden loss of feeling in one of his arms. What was going on?

He hoped that it was only the creakiness that older players had warned may start to hit him in his late 20s, but it definitely wasn’t right. He went to see the Bradford City medical staff, who, sharing his concern, referred him to various specialists.

He faded from the first-team squad, feeling like a shadow of himself, but nobody could pinpoint what was wrong.

Spool