Winning teams help Craig's fight

"Ges arranged for a scan but again advised me not to worry unduly.

"The lady at the hospital was also very positive but I noticed her facial expression changed when she was scanning the area.

"I said: 'What do you see? What is it?' She began to scan my stomach area, looking, as I know now, to see if it had spread. She told me there was something there but it still might not be anything significant. A couple of hours later I saw a specialist. He admitted me into the hospital the following day and operated. From me feeling the lump to the operation was less than 48 hours."

Testicular cancer normally affects men between the ages of 18 and 35. "The survival rate is real good, around 96 per cent, but the secret is to catch it early," says Forrest, who is 34. Despite the encouraging statistics, the diagnosis when it came, was understandably devastating. "You can't stop thinking about it," he says. "You wonder if it will spread, has it spread, will I be around for my daughter Cheyenne's fifth birthday?

In December, Forrest underwent chemotherapy. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but it wasn't all that good either," he says. "They have some great anti-sickness pills but if you went past 12 hours without one, you had a glimpse of what it could be like."

Forrest is not the first professional to have suffered from testicular cancer. Everton's Alan Stubbs, Millwall's Neil Harris and former Chelsea and Tottenham defender Jason Cundy have all been affected.

"Neil Harris phoned me right away and we have kept in regular touch," says Forrest. "I've also talked to Jason who has retired from playing and is now involved in cancer charity work. The cyclist, Lance Armstrong, also had testicular cancer. He left it much longer before his diagnosis and it had spread through his body. He recovered but he had a real tough time. I started to read his book, but I put it down after a couple of pages. I was still waiting for the results of tests and it was a bit too raw for me at the time."

Forrest, however, has been uplifted by the support he has received. "West Ham have been good," he says. "The players have called me regularly and some of them have been up to Ipswich to see me.

"The Canada National Team have also been great. They invited me over to the Gold Cup Tournament just for the ride and the people back home have been terrific. It's been very touching."

Now, cautiously, Forrest is beginning to think about the future.

"Everything's a bit on hold until 9 April," he says. "That's the big one when they do tests, X-rays and scans to see if I am all clear. I'm confident but if it's bad news and I need more treatment, then we'll deal with that. I want to carry on playing, though, if I can. My contract is up at the end of the season, but I feel like I have more left in me.

"It's been tough, especially for the family, but we're getting there."

Meanwhile, England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has offered his support to 'Keep Your Eye on the Ball', the campaign aimed at raising awareness of testicular cancer. "I am delighted to do my bit because this form of cancer threatens men of football-playing age in particular. It is very important to know the facts, be responsible and not hesitate to seek medical advice," said Eriksson.