By admitting vulnerability, John Mahon has found strength.
When the central defender was released by his hometown club Sligo Rovers at the end of last season, it would have been a struggle to forecast a positive prognosis for the rest of his career.
Mahon’s second stint with the Bit’O’Red after an injury-plagued spell with St Johnstone was a disappointment. He looked a shadow of the player that had built a solid reputation before he went away.
Being deemed surplus to requirements by his local club was a tough blow to take, and there were days when he wondered if he would have to find a new job. His father is a carpenter and his brother is an apprentice in that trade, so that would have been the likely route.
But these were only fleeting thoughts. Deep down, Mahon knew he was determined to stay in the game. Earlier in the year, his girlfriend Megan Summerfield had recommended speaking to a psychologist about how he was feeling.
The initial reluctance was lost as he felt the therapeutic benefits that became invaluable as he processed rejection.