Cedwyn Scott: Carlisle forward on ‘life-changing’ mental health break Notts County allowed him

After seeking help and getting support from Notts and the Professional Football Association, Scott was back on the pitch within a month.

He marked his return with a goal against Leicester City’s Under-21 side in the EFL Trophy in November.

Scott went on to score against Peterborough United in the FA Cup later the same month, but that was his last goal for the Magpies before he left to return to fellow League Two side Carlisle in January.

He had spent six months in Cumbria in 2021 when he was trying to rebuild his career, having dropped down to play in England’s 10th tier as recently as 2019 after featuring for Dundee in the Scottish Premiership just a year earlier.

The spell he had at Gateshead after his time at Carlisle earned him the move to Notts, and his return to Brunton Park earlier this year also saw him reunited with his former Heed boss Mike Williamson.

“It was really tough because obviously what had happened off the pitch played a big part,” Northumberland native Scott said of his Notts departure. “I wanted to be back closer to home and closer to family.

“But I wouldn’t have made that move if it didn’t make sense from a footballing point of view. To move back and play under that manager and his assistant again, it was something I loved doing at Gateshead and I knew they could get the best out of me.”

In his second appearance and just 19 minutes into his first start for Carlisle, he scored his long-awaited first English Football League goal to set them up for victory against Fleetwood.

It was the last win of Williamson’s reign, with the boss sacked in February and replaced by Mark Hughes in their battle to avoid relegation.

And while Scott is focused on helping Carlisle fight their way up the league table, he says talking about challenges he has faced off the pitch is something he is determined to keep doing.

“The more people share their experiences – I’ve heard Kieron Dyer and Michail Antonio talk about it – it has really opened my eyes about it,” Scott said.

“The more people share their own experiences then it resonates with more people. Spreading awareness normalises it more for people.”