IFEARED CROHN'S WOULD END MY CAREER

Dons skipper’s battle with condition

- SCOTT BURNS

ABERDEEN star Graeme Shinnie has enjoyed a top  level career in football but admitted there were dark times when he feared Crohn’s Disease would deny him that opportunity.

The 32-year-old has lifted the Scottish Cup with Inverness, won six Scotland caps and been a top performer for the Dons over two spells.

Throughout that time, the midfielder has had to manage his condition and admitted the real low point was at Inverness.

He had an emergency operation, spent 11 hours in surgery and had part of his colon and bowel removed and three abscesses drained.

Shinnie recalled: “The game where we beat Morton in the Scottish Cup was the final straw.

“The pain was too much for me. I had to have a bath almost every hour to relieve the pain.