Lewis McGugan fought back a tear late into a trial match for Scunthorpe United in early 2019.
He had not played professionally in over a year, since a short stint at Northampton Town. Dragged down by constant futile attempts to get back into the game, this was his final push to make sure a 3-1 defeat to Portsmouth was not the last appearance of his career at the age of 29.
He felt he played well, but once again, it was a no. That was the final straw for the midfielder. Fans will be baffled how a career which was so bright had fallen so far. McGugan was a key player for Nottingham Forest, had success under Gianfranco Zola at Watford and initially flourished at Sheffield Wednesday. But after that game for Scunthorpe went nowhere, he knew it was over.
