“Bristol Rovers” assistant coach Paul Raynor announced that he was diagnosed with colon cancer.
The 60-year-old said that the doctors found a tumor and he will start chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the coming weeks.
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He said the cancer had not spread to any major organs and that he had a good chance of beating the disease, and that he planned to stay in prison if he was well enough.
“It’s bowel cancer. I’ll deal with it. I’m positive, but like I said, there’s a long road ahead,” he told the club’s official website.
“I had my first appointment on Tuesday and had a CT scan and tattoos where the lasers would go and it was a bit scary. But everyone has been very positive.
“The counselors and Macmillan nurses have been amazing and the support I’ve had on social media from players, ex-players and everyone around the Club has been fantastic. It helps keep you positive and it’s obviously been a bit of a tough time but we’re staying positive and going full steam ahead.
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“We’ll try and beat it; we’ll beat it and then at the end of the season with a bit of luck we’ll be back on the grass to help the guys. My plan is to be here as much as possible. I’ll be there on game days and I aim to be and I want to be. If I’m good enough, I definitely will be.”
Raynor has been at Rovers since December 2025 with manager Steve Evans helping steer them away from relegation. The club started the new season brilliantly and took the third place in the tournament table.
He feels his diagnosis sends a “broader message” about getting tested, urging other men not to let stigma stop them from getting their health checked.
“I’m a typical person and I left him and my lady made me do it,” he said. “So I did that and a week later – about three weeks ago – I was told there was an abnormal reading and I had to go for a full checkup.
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“I sat down with a consultant within an hour and they said they found a tumour. From there it’s been various scans and progression. That was three weeks ago and now we have a clearer idea of what things look like historically.
“On Monday, October 12, I will start five weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy from Monday to Friday. This will mean that my participation in training will be very limited. If we think I feel well enough during my treatment, I will try to be around as much as possible and I should be on match days.
“Then we’ll move on to three months of intravenous chemotherapy every two weeks. It’s going to be a five- to six-month process in terms of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and then depending on how that goes, maybe surgery.
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“It’s going to be a six- or seven-month process, but the good news is that they tell me the chances of success are high. The cancer hasn’t spread to any other major organs, which is a big plus, but it’s obviously a long way from a treatment point of view.”
Raynor thanked the club for their support alongside Evans, who he has worked with at nine different clubs including Crawley, Rotherham and Leeds.
“I mean, every single person at Bristol Rovers has been absolutely incredible,” he said.
“The chairman, Abdullatif, the board, everyone behind the scenes and of course the snub. I’ve worked with Steve for 25 years and I’ve known him and he’s always been a great friend, but in the last few weeks he’s been absolutely huge.
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“And of course my family and Bristol Rovers supporters too. We were in Thatchers Bar on Saturday and everyone was wishing me well and asking about me and that means a lot.
“They tell me there’s a chance it’s treatable, but the complications could have been much, much worse if I hadn’t done the sample. My message is to get your samples because it’s very important.”