Derry City legend Liam Coyle reveals he thought of taking his own life

Derry City legend Liam Coyle has revealed he once contemplated taking his own life.

Coyle, now 46, was speaking for the first time about how he suffered from depression when, at the age of 23, he was told his career was over because of a serious knee injury.

Speaking on BBC Radio Foyle, the Brandywell man (pictured above) – regarded as one of the Candystripes’ greatest ever players - told of how he “couldn’t cope with it” and turned to alcohol.

“I was very young and very immature at the time and I couldn’t cope with it so I did what everybody did, I went to the bar.”

And he told how things “spiralled out of control” and the thought the effect of him taking his own life would have on his mother stopped him from doing so.

He added: “I got into my car one day and drove down to Lisfannon and I sat on the beach for about three hours and I thought about will I go into the water or will I sit here and see what happens and I thought about my mother and thought about what it would do to her - and I think that's what stopped me."

A former youth player with Nottingham Forest, Coyle made his League of Ireland debut for Finn Harps in September 1988 before moving to the Candystripes the following July, going on to score 77 goals in 263 appearances during three spells with the club.

As well as Finn Harps, he also played for Coleraine, Omagh Town and Glentoran, scoring  22 goals in a total of appearances.

He was capped once by Northern Ireland and represented the League of Ireland twice, scoring once.

He was a member of the Derry City side that won an historic League of Ireland, FAI Cup and League Cup treble in 1989.

He won the league title again in 1997 and a further two FAI Cups in 1995 and 2002 and lifted the League Cup in 1991, 1992 and 1994.

While with Glentoran, he won the Irish Cup in 1996.

He was named League of Ireland’s PFAI Players’ Player of the Year for 1995 having won the PFAI Young Player of the Year in 1989.