I was itching to get back." Duffy has renewed optimism for a fresh campaign as Dumbarton boss Because we'd all been in lockdown since March, I'd already had four months of sitting in the house doing nothing. "No, not at all, I didn't think that for a second. Just trying to accept it was a big thing." 'I didn't consider retirement for a second'Īs he recovered at home after having two stents inserted, Duffy had plenty of time to think.Īfter a management career spanning more than 30 years, was it really still worth the bother, or did the prospect of retirement creep into his mind? It was a shock - you see yourself as resilient and don't imagine these things happening to you. "But my wife told me I'd better phone, so I did, and they got me in for tests, which revealed I'd had a heart attack. By that time I felt okay, it had only lasted five minutes or so and then subsided. "I was a bit sceptical about phoning NHS 24, because Covid was at the forefront of everyone's mind and I didn't want to bother them. Right in the middle of my chest there was a searing pain - as if somebody had punched me full force."Įven then, he took convincing that something serious had happened. Then on the Saturday morning I was getting out of bed and had the same feeling, but much more intense. "I didn't feel unwell, but I'd been out walking the dog a couple of times at night the week leading up to it, and had an uncomfortable feeling, a bit of a dull ache, in the muscles around my shoulders and neck. A teetotal non-smoker, he prides himself on keeping in shape, a legacy of a playing career that lasted until age 36.Īnd having reluctantly thrown himself into DIY, as well as stepping up his exercise regime to while away the downtime amid football's Covid-enforced suspension this summer, the warning signs went unnoticed. You want to get back to normality, but it's ice-cold water, so I don't know if that's the best thing for me at the moment." 'Trying to accept it was a big thing'ĭuffy had little inkling of the seismic shock to come. "I would still like to do it, but I'll need to check if allowed. They know I like to do things that are adrenaline fuelled. My son and daughter had bought me a white-water rafting voucher. ![]() ![]() "It was Father's Day that weekend as well. "It's an easy day for me to remember - it was my 39th wedding anniversary," says Duffy. But then, that has been the case for the past four decades. The date of 20 June, when he was given a visceral reminder of his mortality, is forever etched in his memory.
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