Ryan Edwards: Plymouth Argyle defender continued to play after cancer diagnosis

Ryan Edwards was one of the 11,942 in attendance at Home Park on Saturday

Plymouth Argyle defender Ryan Edwards would have played until the "end of the season" if he were able to, after receiving his diagnosis for testicular cancer, says boss Derek Adams.

The 24-year-old's diagnosis was made public on Thursday and the defender will be out while having surgery.

"It's a difficult time for him. He's known for a number of weeks now and he's played in games," Adams said.

"He's shown a mental strength he will need to get through the situation."

Edwards, who has played 30 games for Argyle since joining from Morecambe in June 2017, will miss an indefinite period while he receives treatment.

He most recently played for Adams' side in their 1-1 draw against Doncaster on 13 January, during which he scored a 74th-minute equaliser for Argyle.

When asked if Edwards chose to play after receiving his diagnosis, Adams replied: "It was his choice. I think Ryan would have played until the end of the season if he could have done, but unfortunately that is not his choice.

"We've had to keep it from a lot of people and it's been a difficult time but it was important to keep the privacy for Ryan and allow him to deal with the situation until it went public."

There has been significant support for Edwards on social media as well as at Home Park on Saturday, where Plymouth were defeated 3-1 by League One leaders Wigan.

Adams continued: "It shows that the footballing world all pull together when something like this happens. This is a very caring football club and it's a football club that support their people.

"We've seen that by the turnout that we had and they are all supporting Ryan."

Ryan Edwards was one of the 11,942 in attendance at Home Park on Saturday