Nick Anderton: Bristol Rovers' communal head shave evokes team spirit of 2021-22 promotion
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Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton joined in as the club's players, including captain Paul Coutts, shaved their heads in support of Nick Anderton in January
Bristol Rovers player Nick Anderton says his team-mates shaving their heads in support after his cancer diagnosis evoked the same team spirit as last season's promotion campaign.
The 26-year-old was diagnosed in July with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, and is now having chemotherapy.
The club chose 16 January to brave the shave as Anderton wears number 16.
"I never thought they'd all do it. I thought maybe five or six would do it." he told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"That just sums the group up, doing that. A lot of them would not want to do it, to lose their barnets.
"People think it's a little thing, or a big thing, but it just shows support and that's why that group of people are special and that's why we got promoted last year. Everyone does something for everybody and they roll together."
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Anderton was a member of the squad that won promotion from League Two last term - achieved with a 7-0 win over Scunthorpe on the final day of last season - but went for a scan after suffering pain in his leg in pre-season training in the summer.
Despite a successful operation in October to remove a tumour, he now must undergo intense chemotherapy for several months after a biopsy revealed aggressive cancerous cells remain in his body.
The 26-year-old defender last played for Rovers in April, but at every home match, fans have started applauding in the 16th minute in tribute to him.
'It is an eye opener'
Anderton, who has also played for Barrow, Blackpool, Accrington and Carlisle, needs six cycles of chemotherapy, with each cycle taking around four weeks.
He acknowledges he has learned a lot from sharing his experiences with other people who are also having treatment.
"When I've been into the hospitals and seen first hand what people and families go through, it's not nice but it's real life as well and it's not nice at all to see. You've just got to try and stay positive," he added.
"It is an eye opener. For me it's six to eight months. Going in there and seeing other patients who are having treatments on the ward or similar treatments to me for a similar cancer, you learn a lot and you see a lot of different people who are on the same journey as you.
"It is strange but quite nice to spend that time with them when you're in there because everyone's in the same boat. So you can have conversations and you learn about stuff."