Wrexham defender Ben Tozer won the trophy for the North Wales club as they were relegated to League Two, but he faced pain off the pitch during a trying summer.
Wrexham’s Ben Tozer has spoken out about his grief when his father died suddenly of cancer only months after the team was promoted back to the EFL.
The former Newcastle United defender guided the Red Dragons to the National League title last season, ensuring their return to League Two after a 15-year absence. Tozer had a suspicion something was wrong with his father as they raised the crown amid joyous scenes of celebration.
Despite the fact that his father had gone to North Wales to see the star’s moment of glory, the Wrexham captain had observed a trend in his attitude. Even after their 3-1 win over Boreham Wood, which secured their return to the EFL, his father departed the field early.
Tozer has now stated why his father avoided him once it was discovered that he was suffering from the consequences of leukaemia. He told the BBC: “He would come to the games up here and would drive up with my uncle.”
“He was here when we won the league, which was incredible for me.” He’d come to the games, but he’d always leave before I did, which I saw as a red flag.
“He wasn’t well, but I never saw him, and it was almost as if he was hiding from me, which I now understand.” At the conclusion of last season, I went to a friend’s funeral, and one of the people my father worked with said, “I saw your dad, and he didn’t seem the same.”
The centre-back mentioned that his brother and wife had previously expressed worries about his father’s health, and that he had promised to have himself looked out. However,
Due to his father’s unexpected decline, he would return to Plymouth for the final time to see him in hospital. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson stepped in to ensure that Tozer got a first-class train ticket to Devon.
Eventually, he would go down to the south coast to be with his family, where he was able to see his dad ‘just before they shut everything off’. He’d then spend another day in Plymouth, arranging for his father’s stuff at his father’s house before returning up north.
Tozer would then join his colleagues on their tour of the United States, where they would face Chelsea and Manchester United. Explaining his thinking
