How Alex Lynch has found solace after football career was cut short by injury and personal battles
In October 2010, Alex Lynch was making his debut for Wales in the Victory Shield.
He would play alongside Swansea City and Wales international Declan John, as well as being coached by Ian Rush and Osian Roberts.
Ten years on and the picture is completely different, he is no longer playing and instead works for his fathers company.
Lynch’s like many youngsters in the game, didn’t reach the levels that they aspire to be, with injuries and off-the-field issues playing a part.
It was whilst appearing for Llandudno in the season in which that they were relegated, that Lynch had consigned himself to the fact that his life would be away from football.
“To be totally honest I’m gutted I signed for Llandudno not anything to do with the club or anything like that but I knew I was done with football,” revealed the former Wycombe Wanderers shot stopper.
“My life away from the pitch was a bit of a mess and I was just clinging on hoping that it would change but it didn’t.
“My form in the the few games I played for Llandudno, I was absolutely shocking. “I was not the same player I had been in the seasons before.”
Embed from Getty ImagesLlandudno was Lynch’s last semi-professional club before he called time on his playing career.
He had initially been on the books of Peterborough United and Wycombe Wanderers, before numerous loan spells at English non-league sides.
A change in agent meant that opportunities following his exit from the professional game dried up and he would have to move into the blood and guts of where he spent loan spells to earn a living.
The Holyhead-born goalkeeper had a brief spell at Bala before a two-year period with Chester in the Vanarama National League.
“I was in the middle of changing agents if I remember rightly and to be honest not much was coming up and I can’t remember how it came about but I went to Bala for a couple of friendlies and then signed for them and played a few games in the Welsh Premier League which I’d never done before.”
“When I signed for Chester it was a chance to jump back up the leagues for me,” said Lynch.
“My first year there was really good I played pretty much every game after I signed and I had a decent year.”
“It was another league to get used to in the conference but I did pretty well even though we struggled towards the end of that season.”
An extension followed following a successful first season but off-the-field issues meant he struggled in the season after.
The commute from Holyhead to Chester was proving too costly for him and despite the clubs support, he requested to leave.
“I signed a new one year deal then. In my second season at Chester a few things got on top of me,” revealed the five-time Wales U17 international.
“I was having a few issues off the field and it showed on the field to be honest I didn’t get to the form I did the year before.”
“Travelling everyday to Chester in the car was really getting on top of me as well and I wasn’t really getting enough to move from Holyhead to Chester so that wasn’t possible.
“I never really dealt with off the field issues and the club ended up trying to help me with what was happening but things had gone too far so I asked to leave.”
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter leaving behind Chester and Llandudno, Lynch had one more try at making it in the game, but during a friendly appearance for his local side, he suffered a broken foot.
It was at that moment that he consigned himself to the fact he may never play football again.
“Breaking my foot kind of seemed like it was the final nail in the coffin to be honest,” said the 25-year-old.
“It was a horrific injury and football hadn’t been great before that so it was kind of a way of excepting it was over.”
Most recently the Professional Footballers’ Association revealed their concerns of the hidden mental health issues within the game.
A decline in members accessing the organisation’s counselling services have taken place during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lynch revealed that during the early stages of his career that he suffered with anxiety and panic attacks as a result of the pressures of football.
“I’ve struggled with anxiety and panic attacks since I was a first year scholar so it was a tough time which that freaked me out a bit that when I broke my foot I thought that I’d possibly never play football again.
“Even though I should of stopped anyways it’s not nice knowing that it’s out of your hands.”
As a result of being away from football, he hasn’t been able to return to the fitness he once had when he was playing.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused him issues as an operation which was planned to rectify his broken foot has been postponed.
“I’m not back to full fitness, I’m nowhere near it to be honest,” added Lynch. “I broke my foot two-and-a-half-years ago and I’ve hardly done anything.
“I’ve put on weight and I’m in pain pretty much everyday with the metal that’s in my foot.
“I’m supposed to be having another operation on it but it’s all been put back with COVID and stuff.
Especially during these uncertain times, there is at least comfort that the former-shot stopper has found some cheer.
There are things more important to life than football and that speaks no truer than Lynch’s personal developments.
Since hanging up the gloves, he has met his partner and they are expecting a second child.
“In the last two years, I’ve got on top of the issues in my personal life and met my partner.
“We are about to have our second child so life is much different for me now than what it was when I stopped playing.”
There could be some hope of a revival of Lynch’s football carer however, though it wouldn’t be directly on the pitch.
Darren Garmey, the manager of Holyhead Hotspur, approached Lynch about coaching the goalkeepers at his local club.
“It’s an opportunity which may revive his career, albeit it at a different level to the heights he previously found himself at, but at least he has found some kind of solace in his life.
“Well Darren messaged me about coming to do a bit of goalkeeper coaching and I wanted to give it a go,” said Lynch.
“I’m not fit enough to play. I wanted to get involved in the coaching to see if I could get back the love of the game and just be back involved in competition to be honest.”
“I work with my dad and I enjoy what I’m doing now but I’ll see how a bit of coaching goes and just try and enjoy the game again.”
