Darlington winger Nathan Mulligan has revealed how close he was to losing out on his dreams of becoming a footballer after being diagnosed with leukaemia.

The 23-year-old was with Middlesbrough when he discovered the news in 2003 and admitted at the time his sporting future looked bleak.

"My first question to the doctor was 'When will I be able to play football?'," he told BBC Late Kick Off.

"She said 'I wouldn't think about that for now'. I wouldn't get back."

It was a gruelling time for the Ingleby Barwick-born player, with six months of treatment at Middlesbrough's James Cook Hospital for the illness weighing heavy on his shoulders as much as the disappointment of missing out on his football career.

"It wipes your whole body out, it makes you so weak and you lose so much weight," Mulligan added.

"You can't eat because you're constantly feeling sick."

I still believe football is bigger than life or death. Football is my life Nathan Mulligan

Having battled back from illness, Mulligan found himself out of favour at Middlesbrough, and dropped out of the professional ranks.

"I was back playing and I obviously wasn't up to scratch, so after I got released from Middlesbrough, I thought it was over," he said.

"So I went back to playing with my friends at Norton. There are a lot of people who can't get a club after they've been released go into that league when they've been released so you've got a lot of good players."

However, the winger's form at Northern League side Norton attracted the attention of Darlington boss Steve Staunton and in October 2009 Mulligan made the switch back to league football with the Quakers.

"Wednesday he came to watch me at Norton, Thursday he offered me a contract, Friday I travelled with the team and Saturday I came off the bench and played at Hereford, it was a really crazy week," Mulligan said.

"I'm at a fantastic club, this is my career. It's made me a stronger person and it's given me a push to try to live every day as you can and train everyday.

"I'm moving on, I've got this opportunity at Darlington and got to let my football do the talking, I still believe football is bigger than life or death, football is my life."

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