Over £9,000 raised for Bruce Sewell

[Charles Webster]

Over £ 9,000 was raised from a charity match and auction on Sunday when players and fans turned out in support of former Gravesend & Northfleet skipper Bruce Sewell who has been stricken with motor neurone disease.

 

Bruce made an emotional return to Stonebridge Road to watch the match and was greeted by former Fleet manager Andy Ford and the Fleet's all time leading scorer Steve Portway.

 

Ford organised the event which included a match involving Bruce's playing colleagues from Gravesend, as well as from his former clubs Yeading and Boreham Wood, versus a Spurs veterans squad, officiated by Premiership referee Steve Bennett.

 

"We were delighted that Bruce was able to attend the game with his wife Annabel" said Ford. "It took a lot of courage, but he was determined to be there. The turnout by the players was fantastic and it created a headache for me trying to accommodate everybody who wanted to be involved. Footballers sometimes get a reputation for being money grabbers but the generosity shown by these lads was outstanding. After giving us a great afternoon's entertainment on the pitch they dug deep into their pockets to make the auction a far better success than we could ever have hoped for."

 

"I would like to thank everybody involved, especially the players and the fans who supported the event."

 

The money raised also included £270 from a collection at the Fleet's recent home game with Oxford United.

[chilled out entertainer]

that is bloody brilliant!

[1 F in Fleet]

Would like to make a suggestion - I am sure that there are people like me who had to work Sunday , and would have loved to have gone , also to the auction afterwards( espesh with crimbo looming ), but just couldn't make any of it . I don't wish to deprive Bruce and his family of my donation ... to someone whose banter as a Fleet player cheered me up no end from the terraces , I still would like to donate . For me and any other supporters in a similar position to mine , do we send the money in a marked envelope to the club , or is it poss to hand it over ( more securely ) to Jessica in the club shop ?

[David Holden]

I'll get details from Andy and let you know!

[Stu M]

Quote:

1_F_in_Fleet said:
For me and any other supporters in a similar position to mine , do we send the money in a marked envelope to the club , or is it poss to hand it over ( more securely ) to Jessica in the club shop ?

You can donate here:

http://www.road2hope.com/

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

Well done to all involved.

[ColtheJock]

This is great news, and I am glad I was able to get along to the game if not the evening event, the Spurs Veterans deserve praise for appearing and they got a sound beating from all 3 teams they came up against. It was also good the Bruce made the effort to attend, sadly for me when I saw him it brought back how my Dad had suffered. Visit the website and donate some money if you can. More research is certainly needed into the causes of MND and any possible cure.

[1 F in Fleet]

Stu M - thanks very much for posting the Road2hope link ... I've made my donation via their worldpay facility .

[Jessica]

If anyone would like to pass over cash I am sending a cheque to Andy for the blanket collection and merchandise we sold for Bruce, so could add it in, will hold back on the cheque until after Saturday.

[Alan W (GNFC)]

Felt sorryu for the Spurs vets by the end - they were almost literally out on their feet after playing 3 spells of 30 minutes - each one against a fresh set of 11 players.

 

They still displayed great ball control and I was honestly hoping that at least 1 of the opponents (notably Yeading) would have allowed them 1 goal during the afternoon - Best moment of the afternoon was when the Spurs guy had a great chance in the Yeading game only to fall over the ball flat on his face - the look on his face as he got up really was a picture and said it all!

[Stonebridge Red]

I reckon we should re-sign Steve Portway. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> He still looks class! A Fleet legend!

[Stu M]

And he was swanning around in a t-shirt when everyone else was wrapped up against the cold. Hard as nails!

 

The t-shirt was pink, mind...