Joey Barton has vowed that Bristol Rovers will do everything they can to help Nick Anderton both emotionally and financially as the defender undergoes surgery for bone cancer, that could leave him unable to walk for a year.
Rovers confirmed Anderton’s diagnosis last week, with the 26-year-old requiring an operation to remove a tumour in his leg that is now likely to take him to the end of his Rovers contract. Barton has indicated that health-wise Anderton is in the best possible place to make a full recovery but his career is decidedly more uncertain.
As the Rovers manager stated, following their 2-1 defeat to Forest Green Rovers, having plied his trade predominantly in League One and League Two, Anderton hasn’t accumulated the same wealth as players higher up the pyramid.
