In part two of this powerful episode, Kyle Lafferty kicks things off with hilarious stories from his time at Kilmarnock under Derek McInnes. From setting off industrial-sized fireworks in the stadium that had the police called and an elderly neighbour reporting an "explosion," to orchestrating a naked "orchestra" in the dressing room to welcome new signings (complete with bagpipes and guitars made from teammates), Kyle reveals why that dressing room was one of the best he'd ever been in – and why manager Derek McInnes had to have a word about "please, no more fireworks."

But the conversation takes a more serious turn as Kyle opens up about the darker side of his football career – a gambling addiction that consumed his life from the age of 12 and nearly cost him everything. Kyle shares brutally honest stories about placing bets at half-time during matches, betting on his phone whilst warming up for games, and how the addiction spiralled completely out of control. He explains how the buzz from gambling became bigger than the buzz from scoring goals, and how betting companies would send him thousands in "goodwill gestures" knowing they'd get it back tenfold.

Kyle discusses getting fined by the SFA, the shame of coming out publicly whilst at Hearts (and having coins thrown at him during warm-up at Easter Road), and why he believes there's a massive double standard in punishing players for gambling whilst football is saturated with betting advertisements. He talks candidly about Gamblers Anonymous meetings, why owning up to your problem is the first step, and how his life has completely changed in 19 months of being clean. He explains why he can now have £100 in his wallet for a week when previously £1,000 would be gone in an afternoon.

Kyle finishes by discussing his passion project – his own football academy, where he's stripping kids back to basics and teaching them the skills he learned from the best. He wants to give young players the opportunity to maximise their potential, and his message to anyone struggling with addiction is clear: there is help out there, and recovery is possible.

A raw, emotional, and inspiring conversation about dressing room chaos, the realities of addiction, the importance of mental health support in football, and the power of second chances.

This podcast is sponsored by AGPayroll.