Paul salutes Celts legend Danny for invaluable advice
When Paul Mcmullan was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, one of the first thoughts that went through his head was: “Can I still play football?”
His doctors quickly confirmed he could – a message firmly echoed by legendary former Celtic and Scotland defender Danny Mcgrain.
The full- back first learned he had the condition in 1974 when he was at the peak of his powers.
Mcgrain never let diabetes interfere with his career and he was on hand to offer Mcmullan advice following his own diagnosis as he started out as a youth at Cetic.
Mc Gra i n
( inset) was coaching at the club at the time and the Hoops great’s words of wisdom became a mantra for Mcmullan.
The 25-year-old Dundee winger, who is also an ambassador for Lochlan’s Legacy, a charity that raises awareness of Type 1 diabetes, said: “I was 13, in my second year at high school when I was diagnosed.
“On e of the first questions I asked was could I still play.
“They said, of course, as long as I managed it, I could do anything I wanted.
“It was tough to be fair. Obviously you have to inject yourself and at that age a lot of people are scared of needles.” Mcmullan, who will be in Dundee’s squad to face Livingston on Tuesday night, added: “Obviously, Danny Mcgrain was at Celtic at the time and he was really great with me and chatted me through things.
“He just said to look after myself, stick to my routine, be thorough with it because if you are off with your diabetes you will feel it.
“When you are trying to play you will already be putting yourself at a disadvantage before you have even started.
“It is something I always take with me.”
Hi b s’ Scott A l l an is another high- profile footballer who lives with Type 1.
T h e midfielder was at Celtic at the same time as Mcmullan and he showed that having the condition was no barrier to being a professional footballer.
Mcmullan said: “Aye, absolutely. Scott Allan has it and he has been at Celtic, did great and played European football.
“We played for the Celtic reserves together a couple of times.
“It was nice to have someone t h e re w h o understands what you are going through.
“He was really good with me as he’s had it a wee bit longer than me and was able to talk about his experiences with it.”