Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League
One of Brighton manager Graham Potter’s old proteges is running five kilometres a day throughout 2022 to raise money for Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Wombwell Main midfielder Adam Stead, who played under Potter whilst at University, was inspired to take on the challenge after watching the film made about Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow who suffers from the disease.
Just over £1000 has been donated so far on his JustGiving page.
“Since the first of January I’ve been running 5k every day for MNDA,” Stead told Non League Yorkshire.
“I didn’t really have a personal reason to do it for that charity.
“After what I saw on the documentary about Rob Burrow and seeing all the money Kevin Sinfield raised for (MNDA), I thought I’m going to do it for that.
“The JustGiving page has been set up and if you do 5k for a year, it is 1,825 kilometres so if you go onto the JustGiving page the target is the same amount – £1825.
“We’re coming to a month since the JustGiving page was released and it has just gone over a grand.
“It has been a pretty good start and there has been loads of support.”
The local Non League and grassroots football community have rallied behind Stead.
Several Wombwell players spend their Wednesdays running with him and he is grateful of the support.
“We have something called a Wednesday club which is basically a load of us who play for or watch the Westville Sunday team who join me on a Wednesday night,” he said.
“Most of them run, one-or-two go on their bike.
“I do pretty much the same 5k route every day.
“Sometimes there may be eight of us, sometimes there may be 15.
“A couple of the lads play for the Sunday side and for Wombwell on a Saturday – Ash Emmett and Liam Graham come quite often.
“Matt Thornton, Choco, has been down on a Wednesday night with.
“It is great. Everyone who turns up are doing it for support but also for their own good as well.
“The lad who has run the most with me deserves the biggest mention.
“He’s coming three times a week.
“That is Luke Sykes who plays for Wombwell.”
Stead, a player who fondly regarded by many as the South Yorkshire Dietmar Hamann, has played for Houghton Main and Wombwell Main in the past ten years.
He also spent the 2009/10 season at Armthorpe Welfare under Des Bennett.
But perhaps his biggest claim to fame is playing under Brighton manager Potter in the Hull University Football side at the end of the 2000s.
The side contained many familiar names including Harrogate Town legend Chib Chilaka, Bridlington Town greats Ash Allanson and Nathan Hotte plus Arsenal loans manager Ben Knapper who also had a spell playing with Brid.
“In my first year at Hull we were running the team as a group of students,” Stead said.
“Potts then came in and out of the four-or-five squads he took on the first team and we won all our first ten games in the BUCS Wednesday league.
“Potts was our manager for two years and he was different level and that’s why he has got to where he has.
“We went into the Nationals and we ended up beating Exeter in the Final.
“We knocked out Loughborough, Lancaster and a couple of others.
“It was a crazy year when he came in.
“He changed training, tactics and the whole mindset.
“I’m no longer in touch with him but we’re still in touch as a team and we always message each other about how well Potts is doing.
“We all look out for him.
“I can see him being the England manager one day and I keep telling people that and I hope does get it.”