Shrewsbury's Carl Winchester on why he almost quit the game
Carl Winchester has revealed he almost quit playing football when he was at Cheltenham due to a close personal tragedy.
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The 31-year-old played 64 times for the Robins, scoring six goals, but those statistics do not tell the full story of the Shrewsbury midfielder’s experience in Gloucestershire.
During that time, his childhood friend James, who Winchester now has a tattoo in memory of, committed suicide.
“I remember we had a game one night, we finished the game and went out for a few drinks after, and I had a phone call from my mate,” Winchester said.
“He was crying. He told me James had died, and I was like ‘what?’
“I was trying to think through who we were talking about because he (James) was meant to come over and see me in Cheltenham a couple of months after because it was his birthday, so he never crossed my mind.
“We were like best friends when we were younger. I still speak to his mum and his family now.
