Former Town keeper Craig Forrest is continuing to recuperate from the effects of precautionary chemotherapy which he recently underwent following his his testicular cancer scare last year.
Forrest says he is taking his time and has spoken to another Town old boy: "It's not too bad. It was difficult, obviously, but now I am just taking the time that the doctors want me to take to try to get over the effects of the treatment itself - it will take some time. I have talked to Jason Cundy, who was at Ipswich when he had the same thing, and asked when he came back. It was four months which he thought was too soon and I've also spoken to Neil Harris of Millwall, who scored recently after the seventh month since he had it. Discussing with them, the message is 'don't rush it.' That is the key according to the advice I've been getting from people like Neil and Jason. Neil Harris trained for two weeks straight, and then was bedridden for two weeks. It is the poison that affects every cell in your body and you have to let it run its course for months."
However, the desire to get back to action has got the better of him on occasion, he told the West Ham official site: "I went for a run a few days ago but four days later I could hardly get up the stairs so I obviously overdid it; sometimes you just feel that you want to do something and it is frustrating. I am trying not to overdo it, but you want to do something at times, even though you feel tired most of the time. But for the most part I feel 'great' - the health side is the only thing you have you have got and things are progressing in the right way. Having something like this you start to appreciate things you would normally take for granted and you feel at times you are a more rounded person for it - though I wouldn't wish it on anyone. You come across these people in hospital and you have a bond, because they are going through it as well. If everything works out well, maybe I will appreciate things more than I used to."