We both just stood there - it was surreal. We used to be in the dressing room together and now we were just wanting this deer to stand up."
For former England defender Abbie McManus - and ex-Leicester City striker Jess Sigsworth - the shift from elite footballers to firefighters has come with plenty of unexpected moments.
None more so than, while working for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue, helping to free a deer that had become trapped in railings.
One minute they were sharing Women's Super League dressing rooms at Manchester United and Leicester City; the next, they were side by side in helmets and breathing apparatus.
"It was one of those moments where we just looked at each other and thought, how has this become our life?" McManus said.
Growing up in the north of England, their paths crossed when they were at Manchester United, and their subsequent friendship helped to influence their next move.
"There were a couple of clubs that wanted us both," McManus said. "We said we'd move together. Leaving for Leicester was massive because Manchester is home.
"Having Jess there was like a comfort blanket. We lived together for a couple of years."
Professional footballing careers do not always end on players' own terms, with both McManus (in 2023) and Sigsworth (in 2024) forced to retire because of serious injuries.
"I was medically retired," McManus explained. "I had a bad break in my leg. It was a bitter pill to swallow. I tried for 18 months to come back but the surgeon eventually said: 'You're done.'
"Football's your whole life. You've done it since you were 16 years old and then suddenly the big wide world comes at you."
Her injury also ruined another important occasion.
"I rang my mum from the stretcher and said: 'I've broken my leg.' I didn't understand why she sounded so stressed, but she'd organised a surprise 30th birthday for two days later. She was more livid about the party than my leg."
It was a similar story for Sigsworth who, after recovering from one knee injury in 2017, suffered another at Leicester.
"I remember the sound," she said. "I knew I'd done it. As I got carried off, I pulled my hat over my eyes and thought: 'I'm not coming back from this.' I just couldn't mentally go through it again.
Published By: Aigbe Vincent Efam.
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