Rockinghorse Allstars V Albion Legends
Guy Butters’ Albion Legends take on the Rockinghorse Allstars, a team of celebrities managed by Jeff Stelling and captained by Joe Wilkinson, raising money for the Rockinghorse Children’s Charity.
The forthcoming international weekend in the Premier League means you have zero excuse not to attend Rockinghorse Allstars versus Albion Legends, a charity match taking place at Woodside Road in Worthing, Saturday 22nd March.
It should be a fun game of football, but more importantly, all monies raised will be heading to a local charity whose vital work impacts more than 184,000 children and young adults across Sussex, every single year.
If you aren’t familiar with Rockinghorse Children’s Charity and the fine work they do, Rockinghorse was set up in 1967 by Dr Trevor Mann as the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton. Back then the Children’s Hospital was located in Church Hill House on Dyke Road, before moving to the ‘new’ Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital adjacent to the Royal Sussex County Hospital on Eastern Road in 2007.
Their work supports and enhances services delivered by NHS doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, in children’s wards and baby units across Sussex. This includes the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, the Chalkhill Hospital also in Haywards Heath, the Bluefin Ward within Worthing Hospital, St. Richards Hospital Chichester, the Peanut Ward Queen Victoria Hospital East Grinstead, plus specialist care units at Crawley Hospital and Conquest Hospital Hastings.
‘The work we do saves lives’ said Rockinghorse Chief Executive Donna Holland within her organisation’s recently published annual report ‘we are here for the children with cancer, the babies who can’t breathe and for the teenagers facing suicide’.
Whether in hospital settings or within the community - something that is particularly pertinent in a city (Brighton) with rates of self-harm in those aged between 10 and 24 that are almost 50% higher than in the rest of England - Rockinghorse ‘fund projects which focus on improving children’s physical and emotional well-being, while providing additional support services for parents and carers’.
The Rockinghorse Allstars celebrity team will be managed by Soccer Saturday’s Jeff Stelling, and captained by someone who’s been pivotal to the organisation of the day, comedian Joe Wilkinson. “I am prepared to do anything to keep the loss down to under 20 goals and that includes two footed tackles left right and centre” said Joe in Dogma’s interview with him (published within the Dogma produced matchday programme, available for free on the day).
Joe Wilkinson
And adding his sizable presence to the Allstars squad is Sussex boy (and Albion fan) Joe Marler, who when asked how he’s planning to switch from handling oval balls to kicking rounds ones replied “I have been preparing for this game by trying to turn pro at padel, all ball sports are the same no?” which should be interesting come kick off.
Joining Joe in the Allstars squad are comedians Maisie Adam, Jon Richardson, Mathew Baynton, Cha and Kiell Smith-Bynoe, plus loads of other famous and well-known actors, presenters and personalities.
Their opposition for the day is a scratch squad of Albion greats and legends; your favourite players from the Withdean days, or even earlier in some cases, managed by Guy Butters.
Kevin Bremner is a name from one of the least celebrated periods in the club’s history; the seasons of the late 80s and very early 90s. An era liminal to the halcyon days of Division One football, and the commencement of the war years. But he’s a big-name player albeit from a time in the club’s history that’s rarely considered.
Dan Harding, Dean Cox and Tommy Fraser are all alumni of the most ‘Sussex’ of all Brighton teams of the modern era. Dean Wilkins’ 2007 U21 orientated squad that on occasions featured up to nine born & bred Sussex lads in his matchday starting eleven.
Amongst the few non-Sussex born players in that squad was Bas Savage. A fine player, but someone who became fleetingly famous for his unique moonwalk celebrations (go check it out online).
Gary Hart needs no introduction. This rare opportunity to watch him play for an Albion team for perhaps the final time is worth the admission money alone.
Mark Ormerod’s status as an ex-player isn’t as elevated as Gary Hart’s but perhaps should be. It was Mark’s save in the final seconds of the destiny-defining match at Hereford United in 1997 that prevented a draw and salvation turning into catastrophic defeat. “If it wasn’t for Mark Ormerod and Robbie Reinelt the club would have gone out of the Football League that day” said Kerry Mayo recently when reflecting on the events of Edgar Street ’97. You can read more on this subject in Dogma’s feature piece on Mark Ormerod within the matchday programme.
Warren Aspinall you’ll know, but you might not have had the pleasure of seeing him play football. Stuart Tuck and Stuart Myall are representatives of a proud lineage of Sussex-born Albion-supporting full backs (a list that includes both Ian Chapman and Kerry Mayo) and Paul Armstrong is a player from the very early Withdean years who’s star briefly burnt brightly as a gifted and mercurial playmaker.
The squad also includes ex-Albion players Paul Gipp, Andy Pearson, Dominic Shephard and Charlie Preston.
And to attend to any injuries (or bruised egos) Albion cult character Malcolm Stuart and his magic sponge will be in attendance. Malcolm worked for the Albion for 32 years, serving as head physio for 20 of those, before retiring in 2009. Ask your older Albion supporting relative.
It should be loads of fun, and all monies raised are going straight to Rockinghorse (including from the raffle and various other fundraising initiatives taking place in the ground on the day).
Purchase your match tickets here, or, if you can’t make the match, donate your £12 entrance fee using this link.