Ex-Burnley striker Payton on dementia diagnosis

"I still emotion nan game. All ex-footballers do. We each emotion nan game, but I conscionable want this sorting retired if imaginable and for anybody who has sewage this test to get help."

Earlier this year, astatine nan property of conscionable 57, Andy Payton was diagnosed pinch dementia.

The erstwhile Burnley, Celtic, Barnsley, Hull City, Huddersfield and Middlesbrough striker scored complete 200 goals successful good complete 500 appearances during his profession successful football.

He has now been told that his profession is nan origin of his diagnosis.

In a candid question and reply pinch BBC Radio Lancashire, Payton talked astir being told he had dementia, his thoughts connected nan game's cognition to heading nan ball, and wherever he goes from here.

Payton's first symptoms gave nan belief thing was wrong.

When chap erstwhile Hull City trainee Dean Windass came retired earlier this twelvemonth to opportunity he had received a test of dementia astatine nan property of 56, Payton felt encouraged to get checked himself.

"I was having symptoms specified arsenic bad headaches, forgetfulness, but for personification successful their mid-50s astir apt a spot excessively much," he said.

"The headaches were an rumor and still are a small bit, but I knew that thing didn't consciousness right. When I knew Deano had been diagnosed I thought I'd spell and get checked out. I could either get told 'you're OK' aliases that 'there's a problem here'."

After a encephalon scan, Payton received nan news he had been diagnosed pinch early-onset dementia.

The standard of nan harm to his encephalon and what nan early mightiness clasp were peculiarly concerning to hear.

"It's difficult to put into words," he said. "Things that were connected nan extremity of your lingua conscionable would not travel out.

"Going disconnected what they've said, retired of nan 60 tracts successful my brain, 27 were damaged. You suffer connection, arsenic it were. I'm OK now, but it's for further down nan statement nan fearfulness comes successful a small bit."

Would he person sewage tested were it not for Windass going public? Payton does not deliberation so.

"I wouldn't, I don't think, because I didn't cognize that you could perchance person tests," he said.

"Me and Deano were 16-year-olds astatine Hull City together truthful I knew him. I thought it made consciousness to get tested."

Payton was told his profession successful shot and nan wave pinch which he headed nan shot was nan origin of his diagnosis.

In his playing days, Payton was a prolific striker, scoring 81 goals for Burnley arsenic good arsenic having awesome records successful beforehand of extremity for Hull, Barnsley and Celtic.

To scope nan level he did, however, came pinch difficult activity successful training which decades aft his status person had their effect.

"I was successful a spot of daze to statesman with. Dementia and being 57 don't spell manus successful hand," he said.

"They explained it was from nan effect of heading nan ball. I knew that nan position I played successful and nan training sessions we did, I was heading nan shot 200 times successful a session.

"From 16 years old, [there was] non-stop repetition, convention aft session, and that's wherever it's travel from."

Off nan backmost of nan diagnosis, Payton's belief connected really heading nan shot is handled has changed.

"If you were to opportunity to maine now 'should kids caput nan ball?' I'd opportunity no. I deliberation they've stopped it astatine under-11s and moreover successful training now they're limiting it. I work together pinch that.

"Because it's not astir now, it's astir what it could perchance create into."

Football has changed successful nan play betwixt Payton's status and his diagnosis, and location is much consciousness successful 2025 of nan imaginable dangers of heading nan ball.

Asked whether he was told astir nan risks erstwhile he was playing, Payton said: "Not astatine all.

"I loved my profession and I wouldn't want to alteration overmuch astir it. Playing for Burnley and Celtic and particularly my hometown club... but I'd beryllium reasoning doubly because this is wherever I americium successful life now. If it could person been limited, if we could person known - but we do cognize now and things person sewage to beryllium done."

Awareness is 1 thing. But tin nan shot manufacture do much to support erstwhile players who are now receiving diagnoses akin to Windass and Payton?

The Football Families for Justice (FFJ) campaign, led by John Stiles, nan boy of England World Cup victor Nobby Stiles, is simply a voluntary organisation dedicated to championing nan authorities and wellbeing of erstwhile players pinch neuro-degenerative diseases.

Former Manchester United midfielder Stiles, who died successful 2020, had prostate crab and precocious dementia.

His encephalon was diagnosed arsenic having chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) - a shape of degenerative illness dementia believed to beryllium caused by repeated blows.

Asked really overmuch work nan shot manufacture should return for nan wellness of erstwhile players, Payton said: "It's massive. I deliberation they surely should do more.

"Jimmy Robson, who utilized to beryllium my coach astatine Burnley, he passed done dementia. John Stiles' dada was a World Cup victor and you can't get higher than that successful football. And he wasn't looked aft properly. That should travel into it.

"Football and nan billions of pounds astir it... They should look aft players that person sewage this because it's travel done shot and thing else."

The BBC Action Line offers resources and proposal connected dementia.