BINGO'S AGONY

GRETNA owner Brooks Mileson has backed his club with millions in a bid to create the best small club in Scotland.

But his financial input pales into insignificance when David Bingham considers the emotional support he has given him through some of the darkest days of his life.

Gretna striker Bingham is fast approaching judgment day in his distinguished career as he fights to recover from a debilitating post viral illness.

He has not kicked a ball for the Raydale Park club since January and is likely to decide his future in the game on how well he copes with pre-season training next month.

Bingham, 35, ruled himself out of contention for a place in the Scottish Cup Final long ago but speaks with genuine enthusiasm and pride about the achievement of his team-mates in winning through to the showpiece against Hearts.

In fact, the only thing that comes close to matching his respect for Rowan Alexander's squad is the backing he has received in recent months from Mileson, an ME sufferer.

Bingham said: "I've not spoken to many people about what I've been going through because a lot of times you wonder if it's actually as bad as you think.

"But then I toil to finish a training session and realise just how tiring it leaves you feeling.

"One of the people I've spoken to openly about it all is Brooks because he suffers from ME and understands many of my symptoms.

"In fact, he even recommended a course of vitamin and herbal tablets he takes himself. I've been taking them for the last few weeks and I'll continue with them for a couple of months to see if they make a difference.

"Brooks has been fantastic with me throughout it all, as has the manager.

"They have never put me under any pressure at all to come back and, touch wood, I can get over it in time. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about having to give it all up, especially the longer it goes on.

"I'll monitor the situation over the summer and see if there's light at the end of the tunnel.

"I consider myself to have been lucky with injury and illness in my career - the longest I've ever spent on the sidelines was four months at Dunfermline a decade ago when I stretched the ligaments in my knee.

"If my career was to end tomorrow, I'd have no regrets because I have been fortunate to spend so much time in the game and I've got to be prepared to be realistic. I'd love, in time, to go into coaching."

Bingham thought little of the virus he picked up in August and which he appeared to have shaken off after a fortnight.

However, he had difficulty breathing during a game against Ayr United at Raydale Park on January 2 and had to be subbed after 65 minutes. Blood tests returned normal results and chest X-rays were clear but the former Livingston hitman was still struggling when he upped the pace.

Bingham, one of the good guys of the Scottish game, does not do self-pity but admits waiting for the post-viral complaint to pass through his system has been tough.

He added: "I went to see a specialist at the Nuffield Hospital in Glasgow and he ruled out ME and said it was a post-viral fatigue illness, linked to the original virus in August.

"It can linger in the body and isn't easily diagnosed. It could pass in four weeks or four months, there's no definitive timescale.

"Short, sharp bursts leave me breathless but I'm okay with day-to-day stuff and, thankfully, family life hasn't been greatly affected."

Bingham will be one of Gretna's loudest cheerleaders at Hampden with his family and friends and he added: "I have my own problems but please don't let them detract from the achievements of the team, which have been nothing short of phenomenal.

"Gretna took me on the pre-Cup Final break to Spain last week, which I really appreciated, and I'm not patronising anyone to say I'm really proud of these players.

"Sometimes it feels as if I'm on the outside looking in but there's no way it will take anything away from the sense of pride I feel when I look at our squad.

"I'll be there to cheer them on. They're good enough to beat Hearts if everyone plays to his potential and the breaks go our way."

Taken from the Daily Record