Jim Magilton has urged anyone going through battles with their mental health to avail of a new text helpline.

The Text Teammate initiative from Tackling Awareness of Mental Health Issues [TAMHI] allows anyone to speak with a trained volunteer via text message 24 hours a day.

Irish League football, and Cliftonville and Linfield in particular, was rocked by the shock passing of Michael Newberry back in December.

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Reds boss Magilton praised the service and called on anyone needing support to use it.

"This is huge and any initiative that helps save a life is so worthwhile," said Magilton. "If you are in that place please do it, do not hesitate.

"We've all gone through moments in our lives or our profession when we don't see another outcome, but there always is.

"In sport, and our sport in particular, we can't get too carried away at any time with success or failure, and I use that term loosely because at the end of the day it's 90 minutes of your life.

"There's so much more that goes on in your life and I'd urge anyone going through a tough time at the moment to reach out, text and speak to someone.

"People don't particularly like to openly talk about it so I think the text initiative is fantastic. It's maybe less personal but as long as it reaches the right people who can give you the right help then it's a wonderful initiative.

"Michael was such a great lad, and great person and a great teammate that you just feel his loss even more so on days like this because if this initiative had been around then who knows.

"The lasting memory with these things is 'what if?'. Perhaps it could have made a difference. He'll always have a very special place here amongst his playing colleagues.

"I was one of the lucky ones who knew him a lot longer. So it is personal but it's a fantastic initiative and everyone should get behind it."

Players from Cliftonville and Linfield were at yesterday's launch of the text service and Joe Donnelly of TAMHI thanked them for their support.

"Those guys have been affected by loss," he said. "We had a conversation about how they felt and the devastation in both changing rooms after Michael passed.

"They wanted to do something to support this along with the NI Women's Football Association and the South Belfast Youth League.

"Mental Health doesn't discriminate and everyone that was here in person was saying that they are here to talk to in person, but if you don't want to do that you can text someone as well.

"I want this to be countrywide as sport is a vehicle which brings people together, we're all teammates, but now we have a teammate beyond the field and this is the person we're able to talk to if we're struggling with our mental health and wellbeing."

If you would like to avail of the service text TEAMMATE to 85258.

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