Stepping out at Kenilworth Road on Sunday will be an emotional moment for Mick Harford as during his treatment for prostate cancer the Hatters hero wondered whether he’d ever step foot in Luton’s dugout again.
The assistant manager announced in the summer that he’d been diagnosed with prostate cancer and then in August he stepped back from his role to undergo 12 weeks of radiotherapy.
The former Town striker, 62, says it was the toughest time of his life, but it has all gone well and this week he returned to work at Town’s training ground.
Harford says being back at The Brache and in the thick of football again – though he’ll reduce his workload – has given him a lift and filled him with positivity. And so will making his return to Kenilworth Road for the FA Cup third round tie against Harrogate Town.
Asked whether if, during the course of his treatment, he wondered if that day would ever arrive, Harford said: “Of course. Being totally honest, these things go through you mind. You know what your mind is like, it plays tricks with you, but I’m coming into a really positive environment which has definitely helped me.
“The support I’ve had from Gary (Sweet, CEO), Nathan (Jones, manager), all the staff and players has been brilliant and I can’t thank them enough.
“Everything about me at the moment is about being as positive as I can. The workload I’ll take on won’t be as much as before, I’m sure and we’ll just take it day by day and see where we are. It’s just an ongoing thing at the moment and we’ll take it step by step. I just want to get back in, help the club, the team, Nathan and all the staff as much as I can.”
Though his radiotherapy course has been completed, Harford will still attend monthly hospital check-ups and he is on a three-year course of medication, but he said of the initial treatment: “It’s the toughest thing that I’ve ever done. It takes its toll on you in terms of fatigue and all the side effects, but I feel a lot better now and lot more positive.
“I’m overwhelmed by the support I’ve had, especially for the Luton Town supporters. I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve said and done in supporting me.
“It’s been a tough time. Have I missed the dugout? Yeah, it’s part of our life. I’ve been in the game for a very long time and I still get that buzz on a Saturday afternoon, 100 per cent.
“I’ve definitely missed that and I’m looking forward to a Sunday afternoon. I’m really looking forward to being out there.”
One thing is guaranteed, that when Harford emerges from the Kenilworth Road tunnel on Sunday lunchtime, he’ll be be greeted by a monumental reception by the home faithful as he strides across the turf to the dugout that, during the last three months, he wondered whether he’d ever sit in again.
He said: “Nathan (Jones) put it nicely. It’s unbelievable what he and board have said, but he said, ‘Mick, you deserve that ovation’. I don’t want it to be about me, I want it to be about the team.
“It’ll be very emotional for me and my family. I just want to get on with it, start getting some results and get some positive feedback.”
Harford has previously remarked of the amount of well-wishers he’s had since going public with his diagnosis, including from figures such as Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson and fans of all clubs. He’s had men tell him that they’ve got tested because of him speaking out, while more than 60 Luton Town colleagues signed up to run 10K a day to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.
But, most notable have been the chants of Harford’s name that have rung around the terraces during his absence on Luton match days. The former England international said: “It got transferred back to me that they were singing my name and it’s very overwhelming.
“I was at the Forest away game, where we played very well that evening. I was overwhelmed when they started signing my name at the old City Ground.
“It’s brilliant. The supporters have been right behind me and I just appreciate everything they’ve done everything that’s been said, the contributions that have been made and the support I’ve had.
“Missing the games was big for me. I love being at Kenilworth Road. I missed some great games. I miss the atmosphere down there, especially. The team’s done great and hopefully we can carry that on.”
Harford was renowned, during his playing career, as a hard man of football, but it’s easy to forget that it’s just a game and there are more important things, such as health. Yet the community around the sport has really rallied behind Harford and helped him raise awareness of a disease that sadly kills one man every 45 minutes in the UK.
Quite understandably, “overwhelming” is the word and the feeling that Harford keeps returning to when describing his battle with cancer, and he added: “I’m a very emotional person. If you come in my house and sit with my son when we watch films, I’m the first one to have tears in me eyes.
“I’ll watch anything and I’ll have a sob, I’ll have a tissue next to me, so I can get quite emotional, believe it or not.
“But it’s just magnificent, the response and the way that people have been with me. It makes it worthwhile and it’s why me, the football club, Gary Sweet and Nathan decided to do this and put it out and help as many people as we could.
“That’s been a massive bonus for me, the club and my family. It’s been amazing, the response I’ve had and I’d just like to thank each and every person that supported me, the club and Prostate Cancer UK.
“(Raising awareness) was our ambition and I think we’ve achieved it. For me, personally, and the football club, we’d like to carry on doing this, to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Everyone knows it’s a killer, so if I can keep on raising awareness, I’ll carry on doing that.”
Go to the Prostate Cancer UK website for more information on beating the disease.
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