Albion Rovers skipper Bryan Wharton has opened up on the struggles of footballers with mental health.
The former Queen's Park centre-back recently joined grassroots football mental health charity the C9 foundation as an ambassador.
He joined the Lower League Football Show to discuss the tough choices and strains facing players - including the financial burden of moving from full-time to part-time football.
"It's common in football because it's a 'man's game', but nobody wants to speak up about their struggles," he told the podcast.
"The likes of David Cox he came out an openly talked about how he was struggling, and we've had a couple of deaths with players I've played with at Queen's Park.
"It's something that just gets dismissed because it's embarrassing, it's not macho. It's just to get it out there that there's no fear to talk about the things you're struggling about."
He continued: "It's a stuggle. People going from full-time to part-time. They don't know where the money is going to come from or how they are going to cope because the wages are different.
"Having somebody that has their back can make a massive difference.
"I'm probably lucky because my dad played football and he knew when I got released from Celtic not to let me get into the slump of. Not everybody has got that."
Listen to Bryan's full talk on mental health, pre-season at Albion Rovers, as well as a discussion about the Tunnock's Wafer Challenge Cup, the Lowland League, and Highland league champions Cove Rangers.
