Stevie Masterton: I hit rock bottom when gambling addiction

Stevie Masterton: I hit rock bottom when gambling addiction cost me chance to take on Man United
Gordon Parks, Sunday Mail


STEVIE MASTERTON tuned into Crawley Town's fairytale FA Cup tie with Manchester United last season and was forced to confront a nightmare.

It was the moment he accepted his gambling problem had robbed him of the chance to play the Premiership giants at Old Trafford.

What should have been the highlight of his move from Morton to the cash-rich Conference side had been shattered by addiction.

After returning home to Ayrshire this summer, having been released by the side recently promoted into the English League, the midfielder is attempting to rebuild a career ravaged by a self-destructive battle to beat the bookies.

Masterton, 26, said: "I'm not the first player to admit my weaknesses but hopefully this is a fresh start now I have told my own story of what gambling has cost me.

"I'll never forget when I hit rock bottom. It arrived as I sat at home in Crawley watching my club play against Man United at Old Trafford.

"I should have been there on the pitch with my team-mates as I was perfectly fit and part of the squad but just wasn't taken to the game.

"There I was sitting on my couch and realising the chaos my life was in through gambling and it was a heavy price.

"But now my focus is on repairing the damage my addiction has caused."

The former Kilmarnock trainee paid tribute to his partner Rachel and insists the recent arrival of his first child has changed him for the better.

He added: "I've been going to Gamblers Anonymous. That has allowed me to ask myself just what I have been doing with my life during the past 10 years.

"It's time to start asking myself questions and facing up to things.

"There are hundreds of players who have been in my position but there is only a small percentage who do anything about it.

"I don't want to look back on my career and be haunted by the regret that if my attitude was better then I would have done well.

"My partner Rachel gave birth to our son Charlie nine weeks ago and it takes something as life changing as that for the penny to finally drop. It's about providing for other people now. My life isn't just all about me.

"I can't allow myself to be selfish any more. My life off the park has been the biggest cause of where I am now. I've been a daft wee boy. But being a father has changed me."

Despite seeking out help for his problems in the early days of his move south, Masterton insists his desperate pleas fell on deaf ears.

He said: "I've been trying to get off the betting for about two years now. I went in to see the Crawley manager Steve Evans to try to tell him that I was struggling.

"I had suffered a relapse when I moved to England and I decided to confide in him. So I walked into his office to tell him.

"From that moment I felt as though he held it against me and that was the end of my career with the club. I was shipped out on loan to Eastbourne Borough.

"If I had been in a better mindset I could have made a success of the move down south as it was a massive chance for me.

"The manager will say he tried to help me to a certain degree but as soon as he was aware there were weaknesses in my mentality he drove me into the ground at a time when I was looking for support."

The prospects of getting back on track in Scotland are bleaker than ever with a record amount of players out of work but Masterton believes whoever takes a chance on him will get the benefit of a player clear of the baggage of his past.

He said: "I have been clear of the gambling for a while now.

"I believe I have a lot to offer and I'm willing to play for peanuts to show that.

"I'm in much better shape in every aspect of my life. I've lost loads of weight through working on my own and given myself a head start by going on runs and doing gym work."

Gambling within the football profession remains an almost taboo subject despite several high-profile stars attempting to raise the issue through their own experiences.

But Masterton is refusing to hide away from a problem which sees many suffering in silence.

He said: "Gambling is a problem and Hearts striker Kevin Kyle is someone I know and he has gone out of his way to highlight his experiences of the addiction. I used to travel through to training at Morton with Allan Jenkins who is Kevin's mate and he used to phone him most mornings.

"Kevin used to provide gambling tale after gambling tale for us in the car. There is even a 34-year-old ex-professional player who attends the GA meetings.

"He is still living in the past and living with regrets and I don't want to be in that position when I'm 34.

"The gambling is the biggest factor I want to shed from my life and I want to stay in Scotland and play again.

"A big move to England isn't of interest to me. I may yet have the chance to earn big money but it could lead to going down the same path and I'd end up losing it all."