FORMER Hartlepool United boss Bob Moncur has revealed he has been fighting a fresh cancer battle. Moncur, who was in the Victoria Park hotseat between 1988-89, underwent surgery for bowel cancer in 2007. It has emerged that the former Scotland international was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in January while undergoing checks for his previous illness. The condition, which affects the food pipe, was spotted by the surgeons who treated him for his initial cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Gateshead. Moncur, who had an illustrious playing career with Newcastle United before moving onto Sunderland and Carlisle, is relieved the cancer was spotted in its early stages. âIâm lucky,â said Moncur, a keen sailor who runs a nautical training school from Hartlepool Marina. âI know Iâve had cancer twice but Iâm lucky because Iâve been treated by the right people and it was found early enough.â The ex-footballer spoke for the first time about his operation, which took place in January, to the BBC. Professor Mike Griffin, from the Northern Oesophago-Gastric Unit based at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, operated on him for eight hours to remove part of his oesophagus and a large cancerous area. Prof Griffin said: âBobby in some respects was fortunate that he was on the surveillance programme so that we picked this up just as it developed into a cancer.â Lost my Da to cancer of the oesophagus. I wish Bobby all the best and glad they've spotted it early.
