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      in Soccer

      Northampton Town aim to show life CAN begin at 40 with health checks for the public.. leaving our man facing harsh facts

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      SO it’s official. I’m getting older, overweight and need to start changing my lifestyle and eating habits.Yup, it’s time to finally accept I’m a forty-something who has to stop living like I’m in my twenties.
      SunSport’s Justin Allen has an “over-40s” health check with Northampton Town boss Jon Brady at the club’s training ground
      Ex-player Brady tells Justin how he has had to kick his beloved croissants from his breakfast routine to stay healthy
      Northampton Town gently broke the news after they invited me to undergo a health-check designed for people aged 40 and above, alongside their manager Jon Brady.So what happened to that well-worn belief that life begins at 40?
      The Cobblers have been going into their community visiting local businesses to give employees in that age category hassle-free tests.
      Akshay Mistry, the club’s community sports participation officer, is the man entrusted to deliver those checks.
      The roughly 20-30 minute procedure includes measuring body mass index (BMI) by taking height, weight and waist measurements — and then checking blood pressure and heart rate, cholesterol levels and, if necessary, a diabetes test.
      READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
      Usually such check-ups are performed at a local GP surgery but getting a doctor’s appointment nowadays seems impossible.
      Akshay has performed more than 300 tests since the club started conducting them — and the Cobblers have almost certainly saved two people’s lives after discovering their health statistics were at dangerous levels.
      He told me: “We want to get people between the ages of 40 and 74 checked. It’s an easy procedure but GP surgeries have their hands full so this takes the pressure off the NHS while making these tests more accessible.
      HOW TO GET FREE BETS ON FOOTBALL
      “Anything that can get flagged now will work better later as this can prevent future problems.
      Most read in EFL
      “If you have high blood pressure and are overweight to the point it’s dangerous that could be the end of you. 
      “But if you can discover this now, you can do something about it — either by changing or moderating your lifestyle and diet or, if at dangerous levels, being referred to a doctor to put you on medication as well as making a plan.
      “I’ve come across two who I referred to a GP — and it’s a good job because had they not had the check they almost certainly could’ve one day suddenly dropped dead.”
      The checks are done in coordination with Public Health England and the results uploaded to the NHS database to give your GP access.
      And even people who appear to live a healthy lifestyle can find that sometimes all is not as well as they think.
      Take Cobblers boss Brady, who is 48, for instance. He has lived his life in football — playing either in the EFL or at the top of non-league and working as a coach.
      He likes running, regularly walks his dog and is surrounded by healthy food and drink at the club’s training ground. 
      Jon Brady gets his height measurement taken by Akshay Mistry
      Northampton boss Brady has his blood taken to test his cholesterol
      Ex-Cambridge United wideman Brady is ready for his blood pressure test
      But, not so long ago, he did a check through the League Managers Association and was stunned to find there was a health issue that needed addressing.
      He told me: “The test flagged up my cholesterol levels needed to drop. 
      “They were concerned and did a lot of testing. I even had to wear the blood pressure measuring device for 48 hours.
      “And it came out that I need to look after my cholesterol. I’ve certain enzymes that aren’t working properly.
      “I always thought I was fit and healthy but that wasn’t the case. I now watch what I eat. I love a croissant in the morning and my wife goes mad at me — so I don’t have them anymore.
      “It’s non-dairy tasteless yoghurts with blueberries for me!”
      So on to my own check. My height is just shy of 6ft, waist is 39 inches and weight is 98.4kg. This means I have a BMI of 30 and, for the first time in my life, am officially obese! Although I think Akshay needs to double check his dodgy tape measure and scales!
      Like Brady, I enjoyed running — often going for 5k or 10k runs — but since the pandemic have lost that enthusiasm.
      Our man Justin gets his finger pricked in a cholesterol test
      Akshay takes Justin’s waist measurement
      I drink beer and wine, love food, enjoy socialising and have a job which takes me away from my home regularly, making it difficult to get into a healthy routine.
      Then came the blood pressure and heart rate test. Two readings were taken .. the systolic pressure (when your heart pushes blood out) and diastolic pressure (when your heart rests between beats).
      Mine came in at 139 (sp) and 93 (dp) … healthy levels are below 140 and 90. So my systolic pressure is creeping towards an unhealthy high while the diastolic pressure is now over the healthy threshold.
      However, the good news is I’m not at the worrying 160/100 level that would require me to be referred to a GP. 
      My heart-rate came in at 99 beats per minute. However, that was probably because it was pounding in fear that Akshay was about to tell me I’d no longer be able to scoff delicious pizzas, Chinese takeaways or kebabs.
      My Apple Watch says my average resting heart rate for the last week has been 78 — which is within the average level of 60-100. 
      And finally my cholesterol levels were recorded after having some blood pricked from one of my fingers.
      SunSport’s Justin Allen undergoes a Health Check at the Northampton Town FC training groundCredit: Alan Walter
      Brady works in the stressful environment of football management
      While The Sun’s Justin Allen has a busy schedule as a football writer
      My overall total came in at 3.74, which is a healthy level. Anything between five to six would mean you seriously need to eat healthier — but anything above that would require an urgent doctor’s appointment.
      My “good cholesterol level” only came in at 0.71 though. A healthy person would expect to have that at least 1.0.
      So I asked Akshay for some health tips.
      He said: “Your BMI isn’t exactly where you want it. For your height, you should lose about 10kg. That will automatically bring your waist down too.
      “Your blood pressure isn’t too bad but you do need to bring it down slightly. Losing weight should help that.
      “You also need to add more healthy cholesterol to your blood. So good food is the answer — oily fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel will help. Also things such as raw nuts, avocados, blueberries and non-dairy yoghurt and supplements of fish oils or multi-vitamins are all great.
      “And you need to get your resting heart rate down a bit. You don’t need to lift weights but I’d recommend doing more aerobic exercise. That should do the trick.”
      I’m going to get on it but, sorry, not ready to give up a steak and ale pie and a pint at the football. That is a non-negotiable. Gotta run — must meet my mates down the pub .. er, sorry, I mean health club!
      Read More on The Sun

      THE EFL’S 72 clubs have been running community events as part of the league’s Week of Action.

      A report — produced by research experts Substance — showed that EFL clubs created more than £865MILLION of social value across England and Wales between 2019 and 2022. More than £101m has been generated for community investment. More

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      in Soccer

      Gary Neville blasted by No10 over political rant likening UK strike response to Qatar human rights abuses during final

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      RISHI Sunak today put the boot into Gary Neville for comparing the Government’s treatment of nurses to Qatar’s brutal use of migrant workers.The PM told the ex-Man United star to stick to football after he hijacked ITV’s World Cup final coverage to rant about Ministers “demonising” striking NHS medics.
      Gary Neville has been slammed for launching into a political rantCredit: ITV
      The PM told the ex-Man United star to stick to football after he hijacked ITV’s World Cup final to rant about about Ministers ‘demonising’ striking NHS medicsCredit: Rex
      Labour-supporting Neville said they were paid a “pittance” and likened them to the appalling exploitation of migrants by the Gulf state. 
      He said: “We can never accept that in this region or any other region and it is just worth mentioning we’ve got a current government in our country that are demonising rail workers, ambulance workers and terrifyingly nurses.”
      But on a military trip to Estonia PM Sunak told the Mail: “I think when most people are tuning in to watch Gary Neville they want to hear about the football and watch the football. They don’t want to discuss politics.”
      His official spokesman added that Neville’s comments were “clearly not legitimate or appropriate”.
      READ MORE ON GARY NEVILLE
      Nurses are taking a second round of strike action this week after Ministers rejected union demands for an “unaffordable” 19 per cent pay rise.
      They join rail workers, border force, civil servants and bus drivers on picket lines over pay rows.
      Neville also engaged in a war of words with Tory MPs who blasted him for making the comparison. 
      Red Wall Conservative Lee Anderson said: “Another party political broadcast by a millionaire… Talk about football Gary and keep your nose out of politics. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
      Most read in The Sun
      The defender-turned-pundit snapped back: “I’m glad you’re p***** off. The biggest set of charlatans to ever be in power!”
      The World Cup in Qatar – that ended yesterday with Argentina as champions – has been dogged by scandals from allegations of corruption to outrage over the country’s human rights practices.
      Thousands of migrant workers have reportedly died in the Qatari construction industry since the World Cup was awarded to them in 2010.
      During the punditry Neville said: “The working system of Kafala which obviously through football the conversation has started and it’s been removed here now in Qatar but it is abhorrent and we should detest low pay, we should detest poor accommodation and working conditions.
      “We can never accept that in this region or any other region and it is just worth mentioning we’ve got a current government in our country that are demonising rail workers, ambulance workers and terrifyingly nurses.
      “In our country we’ve got to look at workers’ rights but when football goes, we have to pick up on workers’ rights wherever it goes because people have got to be equal and treated equal.
      “We can’t have people being paid an absolute pittance to work, we can’t have people in accommodation that is unsavoury and disgusting. It shouldn’t happen here.
      “That shouldn’t happen here with the wealth that exists. 
      “But it shouldn’t happen with the nurses in our country either where our nurses are having to fight for an extra pound or two pound.”
      Thousands of migrant workers have reportedly died in the Qatari construction industry since the World Cup was awarded to them in 2010.Credit: PA More

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      in Soccer

      World Cup will be a superspreader event – I know the best way you can protect yourself from a flu outbreak

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      YES, I know, I know. It’s happening at the wrong time of year in the wrong kind of place and we’ll doubtless end up with the wrong result.But once it gets going, all that will be forgotten.
      Social distancing will be long forgotten as bars pack out for the World CupCredit: Reuters
      We’ll be watching and we’ll want to be watching it together.
      Because — despite Fifa’s best efforts to mess things up — this is what football does and it’s what the World Cup does in spades.
      And the great nation coming together is one aspect of this World Cup which could be really special, precisely because the timing is all wrong.
      The atmosphere, as we crowd into pubs and so on to watch the games, is going to be something else.
      READ MORE WORLD CUP
      It’s always great during the usual summer tournaments but, crammed indoors with winter raging outside, it’s going to be so much more intense.
      While frosty winds will blow their worst outside, inside we’ll be heating ourselves up to fever pitch watching the football together.
      This will be the 28th international football tournament in my lifetime.
      The other 27 I’ve watched over long summer days and evenings. And I’ve loved them.
      Most read in The Sun
      DELIGHTING AND DESPAIRING
      Now I’m really looking forward to being part, for once, of some wintry World Cup fervour.
      But, but, but. As ever in football, there is a big but.
      If we can catch football fever from each other jammed in pubs delighting and despairing at the drama, there will be other bugs we can pick up from each other too.
      When Covid came along we had to learn a whole new way of living and new vocabulary to go with it.
      There was that thing called social distancing, and the notion of certain environments being great vectors for infection, and certain occasions becoming known as superspreader events.
      I don’t think you need to be very highly qualified in epidemiology to work out that hundreds of football fans, in a confined space, shouting, chanting, jumping around, kissing and crying, will facilitate the passing of germs.
      They’ll be getting sprayed around the place like nobody’s business.
      But, whatever, the craic will be so great that a few coughs and colds will be a price worth paying.
      Some catarrh thanks to Qatar? So what?
      Except, if we’re not careful, it could be about a whole lot more than an outbreak of winter sniffles.
      Covid is always threatening to send a new wave to break over us, quite possibly in the form of worrying new variants.
      And then there’s that annual killer, winter flu.
      Something we don’t worry about enough, which is daft, because it’s not rare and it’s well worth not getting because it’s extremely unpleasant and could even finish you off.
      If only there was something we could do to keep us safe from all this, freeing us up to whip up our football passions and hug and kiss strangers without fear of spreading anything other than joy or despair.
      If only the NHS that we applauded so loudly could somehow help us out.
      If only more of us realised that, of course, the NHS not only can vaccinate us but is desperate to do so.
      Yes, join The Sun’s campaign and get jabbed for Covid and jabbed for the flu. Do The Double.
      If you haven’t done that, then ask yourself why not, especially if you’re planning to spend large parts of the next month in confined spaces with others like you, shouting at TV screens.
      I’m sorry, but if you stood and applauded the NHS but now don’t help them out by doing the double, this winter of all winters, then you’re possibly a bit of a hypocrite.
      It really isn’t hard. It can’t be that hard. Because I’ve done it.
      First I got the flu one done, then the Covid booster a week later.
      The only challenging thing was explaining to jabber number two why I still had the plaster on covering jabber number one’s work a full week earlier.
      I assured him I did wash regularly, just not very thoroughly.
      GLORIOUS WORLD CUP
      As one of Britain’s leading hypochondriacs and a serial sufferer of terrible man-colds, I’m happy to report that the side-effects amounted to not very much at all.
      I felt a little bit rough after the Covid jab but it can’t have been so bad because that very afternoon I went to see West Brom at QPR.
      And we won, which restored me to rude health anyway.
      So come on, let’s do this. Let’s get right behind England and Wales in what yet could be a glorious World Cup for us.
      Read More on The Sun
      Let’s Do The Double, then get ourselves down the pub, shut out the bleak mid-winter and enjoy the ride.
      Or, to put it another way, Do The Double so if and when the football does end in tears, you don’t have flu or Covid adding to your misery.
      Do the double and get jabbed for Covid and the winter flu More

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      in Boxing

      I held my baby for first time, then midwife plucked her from me – her fight inspired me to win mine, says Tyson Fury

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      TYSON Fury has revealed for the first time how the near-death of his baby daughter sparked his greatest win in the ring.Athena was born prematurely last year — just weeks before the Gypsy King’s epic 11th-round KO of Deontay Wilder.
      Tyson Fury says his daughter Athena’s fight for health inspired his boxing success
      Wilder punches Fury during the WBC Heavyweight Championship in 2018Credit: Getty
      The Gypsy King and wife Paris never gave up on daughter AthenaCredit: Richard Dash for GoPr
      Here, in exclusive extracts from his new book Gloves Off, Tyson reveals the incredible tale…
      I am The Gypsy King — a bona fide legend and a once-in-a-lifetime superhero.
      But boxing isn’t my entire world. The reality is I’m a husband, a dad, a son, a brother, an uncle.
      My family are my armour and Paris and my six beautiful kids are always in my thoughts because they’re so precious to me.
      READ MORE ON TYSON FURY
      On the eve of my 2021 fight with Deontay Wilder I slept on a hospital floor as our youngest child, Athena, fought for her life shortly after being born.
      I had a split draw with Wilder in 2018 and beat him in 2020.
      I hoped that my rematch against him in 2021 would be a Hollywood-style ending to my dark days of depression.
      But then Athena was born prematurely at the beginning of August 2021 in the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, just two months before the fight.
      Most read in The Sun
      At first everything went well with the birth. I held my new daughter for the first time, and everything was perfect.
      There had been no signs of anything being wrong during the pregnancy.
      Then the midwife plucked her out of my arms and within minutes everything was kicking off.
      Apparently her heart was beating too quickly, and at first I didn’t think anything of it.
      Then everybody around us seemed to be panicking.
      My baby’s life was hanging in the balance and my name and what I did for a living wasn’t going to change a thing.Tyson Fury
      Athena was hooked up to a machine, doctors were pushing buttons and taking readings and her heart rate had rocketed to 300 beats per minute, when it should have been closer to 120bpm, and there was nothing the nurses could do to fix the problem.
      They injected her with something that seemed to slow everything down, to around 140bpm, but then she spiked all the way up again.
      The consequences were terrifying.
      If Athena’s heart rate couldn’t be steadied she would probably die from a cardiac arrest.
      Watching the medical staff rushing around her and Paris was horrible, though I knew they were both in safe hands.
      After being born, I’d died and been resuscitated three times – the NHS had kept me going well enough.
      Still, that did little to ease the sense of total helplessness I was experiencing.
      I saw nurses sedating Athena; someone was putting a tube down her throat to assist her breathing; and while everybody seemed to be acting calmly amid the chaos, there is nothing a parent can do in a situation like that, other than to watch and pray.
      I’d been reduced to nothing.
      My baby’s life was hanging in the balance and my name and what I did for a living wasn’t going to change a thing.
      ‘TERRIFYING’
      In the end, it was decided that Athena should be blue- lighted to the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, and once there, her heart rate was stabilised.
      It was so hard to see her on an incubator, with several tubes and wires coming out of her body.
      She looked so tiny and vulnerable, and even though her situation had improved, the doctors were warning us we weren’t yet out of the woods.
      Athena’s heart rate was still all over the place, and at any given moment she might die.
      As Paris recovered and Athena started her battle, I bedded down in the Ronald McDonald House, an accommodation for parents attached to the hospital.
      Nothing could dissuade me: I was crashing there until Athena had stabilised. But every day my head span.
      Though it was the last thing on my mind, at some point, I was going to have to think about the upcoming fight with Deontay Wilder.
      If it was to go ahead, my preparation would have to happen at breakneck speed.
      Athena was in ICU weeks before the showdown with Deontay WilderCredit: Instagram
      Little Athena was fighting for her life while Tyson was trying to prepare for his title bout
      The boxer’s new autobiography Gloves Off, is out on November 10
      Once my schedule was pieced together, I estimated I had around four weeks to get into fighting form. It wasn’t long, but I could still make it.
      At the Alder Hey Hospital the doctors were giving Athena ­life-saving treatment.
      The good news was that she’d been taken off the incubator and there were some signs of improvement, so whenever Paris and Athena were resting, I went to work.
      To tackle Wilder, I needed to make the most of every opportunity, and a day or so after the birth, I started a jog around the hospital with Dad.
      I wasn’t in the best of shape at the time because I’d been struggling to eat well, what with being in and out of Alder Hey.
      I’d also not long recovered from Covid and my lungs felt like two sheets of sandpaper whenever I put in a shift.
      Puffing a little, I’d probably only done around three miles when my phone started ringing. It was Paris. She was hysterical.
      ‘The baby’s died,’ she screamed. ‘The baby’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead . . .’
      I sprinted to the ward as fast as I could, fearing the worst.
      My chest burned, my legs were in agony, and as I ran I tried my best to console Paris.
      ‘It’s going to be alright,’ I panted down the phone. ‘Let the doctors do their job. Don’t worry . . .’
      It hurt me to see her in the cot, attached to a bleeping machine. Tyson Fury
      When I made it to her bedside, there seemed to be a hundred medics crowding around Athena.
      Apparently, she’d become completely unresponsive while Paris was holding her, then her heartbeat had faded away to nothing.
      Athena was resuscitated, but Paris was now losing it.
      A nurse was trying to calm her as the specialist staff went to work. I couldn’t believe what was happening.
      Eventually, to our enormous relief, and with the grace of God the doctors were able to steady Athena.
      We were told she would have to remain in hospital until she’d made a full recovery.
      In the end it would take three weeks before she was allowed home and for much of the time I slept at the Ronald McDonald House, or on the floor of the hospital ward, feeling exhausted, praying for her to pull through safely, knowing that some parents never got to take their babies home.
      It hurt me to see her in the cot, attached to a bleeping machine.
      A lot of the time Paris and me would sit there, staring at our baby.
      Keeping the worrying news from the kids was a tough job too.
      All of them were excited to meet their new sister – Venezuela, Prince John James, Prince Tyson Fury II, Valencia Amber and Prince Adonis Amaziah. We didn’t want to tell them that Athena had nearly died because we didn’t want to worry them.
      After what felt like an age, Athena had recovered enough for us to leave hospital at the end of ­August.
      I immediately went back to work, even though I probably could have postponed the fight.
      It’s not as if I didn’t have a good reason for requesting a delay.
      Sleeping rough on the floor of a hospital wasn’t the best way to prepare for anything, let alone a world heavyweight title bout against a man who was talking up my murder.
      But what was the point in looking for excuses? It was now or never. I’d had a tough time for sure, but not as tough a time as Athena – and she’d shown the strength and willpower to fight her way back to life.
      I would turn her battle into fuel.
      Read More on The Sun
      And I did. I beat Wilder with an eleventh round knockout – in one of the most epic fights of all time.
      It was Athena’s successful battle which inspired me to win mine.”

      Adapted from GLOVES OFF by Tyson Fury, published by Century on 10th November in hardback and audiobook.

      Tyson Fury v Derek Chisora for WBC & lineal Heavyweight Championship of the World will be broadcast exclusively on BT Sport Box Office. Tickets for the event at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Dec 3 are available now at ticketmaster.co.uk

      Tyson Fury and his family
      Fury recording his debut single – the Neil Diamond classic Sweet CarolineCredit: PA
      The couple with their six children More

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      in Soccer

      Antonio Rudiger treats staff at Chelsea’s local hospital to a feast to thank them for leading fight against coronavirus

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      ANTONIO RUDIGER has turned out to be just what the doctor ordered… by treating staff at Chelsea’s local hospital to a feast.
      The big-hearted Blues defender marked his 28th birthday on Wednesday thanking medics at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital for their work in fighting Covid-19.

      NHS staff were treated by Antonio Rudiger to a tasty spread as thanks for their hard workCredit: cwpluscharity

      The Chelsea defender laid on drinks and food, and posted a video to staffCredit: cwpluscharity

      German international Rudiger laid on a spread of cakes, pastries and drinks at the West London facility, a stone’s throw from Stamford Bridge.
      He said in a video message to staff: “I just wanted to say a big thank you.
      “We all can’t thank you enough for what you are doing in these difficult circumstances.
      “That’s why on my birthday I wanted to share a few cakes and drinks with you people, as a little appreciation for the work you are doing and will still do.

      “I hope it won’t be so much any more, and things will get better. I wish you and your families all the best.
      “Stay safe and keep doing what you are doing, because you are doing great work.

      Staff at Chelsea & Westminster hospital posed for photos with the snacksCredit: cwpluscharity

      Rudiger has donated a number of times to health workers during the pandemicCredit: cwpluscharity
      “You are the heroes! Thank you, stay safe, and goodbye.”
      Smiling nurses and doctors are seen in the video standing behind a long table laden with food and drinks.

      They chorus: “Happy Birthday, Toni – thank you for the gifts.”
      Rudiger last year donated pizzas to staff at 13 hospitals in Germany, and bought food for nurses at the Berlin hospital where he was born.
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      Rudiger has been an integal part to Thomas Tuchel’s revivla of the BluesCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      He has also provided facemasks for people in his mother’s African homeland Sierra Leone.
      The centre-back has made 18 Chelsea appearances this season.
      A £29million buy from Roma in 2017, he has since helped the Blues win the Europa League and FA Cup.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

      Mason Mount reveals Rudiger is Chelsea’s hardest player and how he didn’t believe ‘crazy’ Messi praise More

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      in Soccer

      Sean Ash hoping to unite Millwall and West Ham in charity walk like Captain Tom – and has already raised £75,000 for NHS

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      CAPTAIN SIR TOM MOORE brought the nation together at a time of crisis to raise funds for the NHS.
      Now disabled Millwall fan Sean Ash wants to unite rival Lions and West Ham supporters to back his efforts to support our incredible and selfless health staff.

      Millwall fan Sean Ash walked a lap on his zimmer frame to raise funds for the NHS

      The lifelong Lion, 39, is a 999 emergency call handler for the London Ambulance Service.
      And in August he became paralysed from the waist down by a rare condition called Cauda Equina Syndrome that could have seen him lose his life.
      So inspired by Captain Tom, Sean walked a lap of The Den on his zimmer frame – and has so far raised £78,000.
      Now Millwall’s fiercest rivals West Ham are backing his fundraising campaign and have given him the green light to do a lap around their London Stadium pitch to support his fundraising campaign.

      It was written in the stars that the day Sean picked to do his walk at The Den – which took ONE HOUR – was on the same day when Captain Tom sadly passed away.
      And the great man himself even sent Sean a special message via his Twitter account days before his death after hearing about his story and fundraising efforts.
      In it, the 100-year-old World War II veteran wrote: “Such an inspirational young man. Amazing effort.”
      Sean told me: “Captain Sir Tom united the nation – Brexiteers and Remainers and people of all creeds, politics and beliefs – behind one goal … to raise funds for our amazing NHS.

      Captain Sir Tom Moore paid tribute to Sean’s efforts days before he sadly passed away

      It took Sean Ash about an hour to complete his lap of The Den
      “So it got me thinking, ‘Why can’t we unite massive rivals like Millwall and West Ham too?’
      “There is a huge history of problems between the clubs and while I’m all for banter it can sometimes get serious.
      “But, as a 999 emergency call handler, it doesn’t matter to me if you’re a West Ham or Millwall supporter or whoever, I want to save your life.
      “Having almost died last year and being left paralysed opened up a new perspective to me.
      “And while we endure this pandemic, like we would a war, we should do so side by side – and that means Millwall and West Ham fans too.”
      Sean recently lost two cousins, Paddy and Michael Byrnes, to coronavirus and cancer respectively. Both were big Hammers fans.
      So much so that West Ham put photographs of them on their matchday screen at the London Stadium ahead of their game with Burnley.
      Sean said: “I’m so glad West Ham and the owners of the London Stadium have agreed to join Millwall in supporting this.
      “I believe it would be a fitting tribute to my cousins as well as uniting two footballing foes behind something that is much more important than football or rivalries.”

      Sean’s cousin, and West Ham fanatic, Paddy Byrnes died of Covid-19

      His other cousin – another Hammers fan – Michael Byrnes died of cancer last year
      Sean started working for the emergency services last April during the peak of the pandemic.
      And he saw first-hand how selfless and vital his emergency services colleagues were.
      His own life was saved when it was discovered he had the rare Cauda equine syndrome – a severe spinal condition where all the nerves in the lower back suddenly became severely compressed.
      He said: “I had a disc that came out of the socket in my lower back and it compressed the spinal cord so bad I have paralysis below my waist.
      “I also have bladder and bowel dysfunction – as well as around my saddle areas.
      “It all suddenly happened in August as I was driving to see my parents in Deal, Kent.

      It would be a fitting tribute to my West Ham-supporting cousins as well as uniting two footballing foes behind something that is much more important than football or rivalries.”

      “They say it’s rare but a lot of people suffer with it but just don’t know they’ve got it.
      “Duncan James out of Blue is a recent example.
      “Some people just get pain killers but there’s a 24 hour window to operate or you’re left completely paralysed.
      “When I had my operation at King’s College Hosptal because I had a heart condition as well, there was a chance I could die.
      “I was given two choices, ‘Don’t have the operation and be completely paralysed for life’ or ‘have the op but there is a chance you might not pull through.’
      “I chose the latter and had to phone my children to say goodbye just in case. Thankfully, the operation was a success.”
      Sean has slowly been on the mend since and amazed doctors by being able to walk with the aid of a zimmer frame.
      And he incredibly managed to walk a mile – split into two segments – to raise funds for the NHS.

      Sean has been awarded a service medal by London Ambulance Service for his selfless efforts in raising funds for the NHS
      Last week he was back taking emergency calls without any assistance.
      He said: “I’ve overcome so many odds to get to where I am today and when Sir Captain Tom uplifted the nation it really inspired me.
      “And I thought if I just could start walking then I can do a challenge.
      “If I could do something that was deemed impossible then that could give some other people hope.”
      You have to applaud this inspirational man’s efforts and let’s hope Hammers and Lions alike put their rivalries aside for a common goal that surely everyone in the country supports.
      To donate to Sean’s NHS fundraiser, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/goingthextramile

      BLACKBURN skipper Darragh Lenihan is certainly made of stern stuff.On Friday night – for the Lancashire derby with Preston at Ewood Park – he was the only player on the pitch to brave the MINUS SIX temperature by wearing a short-sleeved shirt.
      It was great to see most of the players deciding against wearing gloves that so many big-shot Premier League stars wear even when it’s mildly chilly.
      But Darragh is certainly different gravy. No ice baths needed for him right now! More

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      Tottenham donate £100,000 to NHS charity with cash raised by player fines for breaking Covid lockdown over Christmas

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      TOTTENHAM have donated cash raised from player fines for lockdown breaches to an NHS charity.
      A whopping £100,000 was charged to Sergio Reguilon, Erik Lamela and Giovani Lo Celso for attending a New Year’s Eve party.

      Three Tottenham stars were pictured at a New Year’s Eve bash during lockdown

      The gathering broke coronavirus lockdown restrictions at the height of the pandemic’s third wave.
      And Spurs have used the money to help fund an initiative for health workers in North London.
      On Wednesday, a club statement read: “Tottenham Hotspur can announce it has donated £100,000 to North Mid Charity, needed to deliver a ‘Thank You’ initiative for North Middlesex University Hospital’s heroic staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic.
      “Money raised has been taken from fines the club has issued to its players that breached Covid-19 guidelines over the festive period.”

      Tottenham Stadium was converted into a testing centre in the spring amid football’s shutdown.
      With fans still yet to return to matches, the venue has also been offered to help the NHS with the coronavirus vaccine rollout.

      Jose Mourinho spoke of his disappointment at his stars’ decision to break guidelines over the holiday period.
      Reguilon in particular had, only days earlier, been gifted a £500 Spanish jamon leg as a present for spending Christmas alone during the pandemic.

      And Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy spoke on Wednesday about the decision to direct player fines to local charities.
      FRIDAY NIGHT POKER: Play against us to win a share of $5,500

      He said: “The club always ring-fences player fine money for good causes and we can think of no better cause to donate these funds to than North Mid’s ‘Thank You’ initiative for staff.
      “NHS staff across the country continue to make sacrifices and put themselves at risk every day to save lives and we hope this contribution will go some way towards providing the recognition that these heroes deserve.
      “Although the circumstances in which we are able to provide the financial support required are regretful, we are pleased to know that we are able to contribute and look forward to working with North Mid on this fantastic initiative.”

      Door-to-door Covid testing gets underway in clampdown on South African variant More