Former Ipswich striker Marcus Stewart hopes the club’s generosity in raising funds for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation through a new kit launch will continue to help give a voice to others with the disease.
Ipswich’s new shirts, again sponsored by Ed Sheeran, are their fastest selling so far as the Tractor Boys gear up for a return to the Sky Bet Championship having won promotion from League One last season.
For every home shirt sold during July, the Suffolk club will make a donation of £2 to the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation in support of Stewart’s fundraising efforts for the charity following his own diagnosis for motor neurone disease last year.
Over the course of the first weekend of record sales – which saw the new home kit worn in Town’s opening pre-season friendly against Felixstowe & Walton United on Saturday – more than £11,000 was raised.
The home shirt is inspired by Ipswich’s 1999-2000 campaign which ended in promotion via the Championship play-off final at Wembley, before going on to finish fifth back in the top flight the following season.
Stewart scored 19 league goals – coming second behind Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and ahead of Thierry Henry in the race for the Golden Boot – which helped George Burley’s team secure qualification for the UEFA Cup.
The former Town frontman, 50, has been taken aback by how well the new kit has been received and so bringing in welcome additional funds for the charity
“I don’t think the club have sold that many new kits on the first day ever,” Stewart told the PA news agency.
“Ipswich have been great. We haven’t approached them about getting these things to happen, it is them who have come up with the ideas.
“They have been very proactive in helping out the charity in a big way and it all creates awareness as well.”
Stewart’s own diagnosis came after 12 months of testing and was revealed during September last year.
MND is a degenerative condition which affects the brain and nervous system. It is a life-shortening disease and there is no cure. Although it will progress, symptoms can be managed to achieve the best possible quality of life.
Currently head of player development at National League South club Yeovil, another of his old teams, Stewart, supported by his wife Louise, hopes to continue to front campaigns for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation while he is able.
The foundation was launched by former professional footballer Stephen Darby and armed forces veteran Chris Rimmer, who were both diagnosed with the disease. Rimmer died aged 39 in April last year.
Former Leeds Rhinos rugby league player Rob Burrow is living with the condition after his diagnosis in 2019.
Burrow’s former team-mate Kevin Sinfield is another who has helped improve awareness of MND and raised millions of pounds for charity through his endurance efforts.
“I am lucky. At the moment, I still have got my voice, still have got my mobility,” said Stewart, who played in every tier of the English professional game.
“I have a little bit of a profile, not as big as Kev and Rob, but I am there to be the voice of the people who haven’t got a profile, who haven’t got mobility and a voice because of the disease.
“As long as I am well and good – I am still exercising and able to work – I am going to do my best to get out there and be a voice for the other people while I can, like Kev and a lot of people are doing for MND, the silent ones who are doing their bit in their own time.”
Stewart has lost grip in his left hand since being diagnosed and has a weak arm, but continues to hold a positive outlook.
“The initial shock, of course, was quite hard to take for a lot of people, but we are all trying to get on with life and just living in the moment,” said Stewart, who began his professional career at home-town club Bristol Rovers before a successful spell at Huddersfield and stints with Ipswich, Sunderland, Bristol City, Preston, Yeovil and Exeter.
“The past two or three months, everything has settled down a bit and been pretty much normal now for most of the family really. We are a pretty positive group of people.”
:: The Stewart family are raising funds for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation. For more information, visit justgiving.com/team/teamstewart254
Howe taking plenty of positives despite frustrating Newcastle campaign
Eddie Howe was keen to look at the positives after Newcastle United secured seventh place in the Premier League on Sunday.
Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes were among the goalscorers as Newcastle won 4-2 at Brentford to finish their Premier League campaign.
The victory ensured a seventh-place finish, and a Manchester City victory over Manchester United in next Saturday's FA Cup final will confirm Newcastle's place in next season's Europa Conference League.
While this season did not quite live up to the heroics of last term, which saw the Magpies finish in the Champions League spots, Howe still feels it has been a successful campaign.
"It summed up our season," Howe told BBC Sport. "We weren't totally secure at the back, but great credit to the players. They've done their job - now we wait and see.
"We anticipated after losing against Manchester United that our control of the [European] situation had gone. It's never a nice situation, but whatever happens, happens.
"We have issues to solve defensively. If we can do that, next season could be another season of really strong performances. This was a season that could have been better, but a good season overall.
"We're a really united club. I think we're still moving forward, so there's a lot to be positive about."
Postecoglou will not settle until Tottenham hit his 'lofty ambitions'
Ange Postecoglou warned Tottenham he will not settle until the club hits the "lofty ambitions" targeted in his mind.
Spurs were 3-0 victors over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday, ending their Premier League season with a convincing win to finish fifth in the table.
Postecoglou voiced his frustrations after Tuesday's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City ended their hopes of Champions League football next term.
The Spurs head coach was far more relaxed after his side performed well in Sheffield, with Dejan Kulusevski twice on target, along with a goal for Pedro Porro against the relegated Blades.
Yet Postecoglou insisted his ambitions remain high as the Australian attempts to take Tottenham to the next level.
"Contrary to my general demeanour, I have loved every minute of it," former Celtic boss Postecoglou said of his first season in charge of Tottenham.
"It is a great challenge in the Premier League and taking over a big club that didn't have a great year last year. You understand it is not going to run smoothly, but I have enjoyed the whole season.
"I have got some lofty ambitions for the football club and until we reach that point I am not going to be smiling too much.
"As I said, all any manager wants is maximum effort and I have got that from everyone involved. I have enjoyed it and looking forward to pushing on from here."
Asked to summarise his first campaign in England's top league, Postecoglou continued: "It's been good, it's been eventful, it's had a bit of everything.
"I am obviously not delighted with the way we finished the season but in fairness to the players and staff we have been in the top five all season, in a year where there was a fair bit of upheaval.
"We finished eighth last year, player turnover, different football, different way of training, it is not easy to maintain a level when you are trying to do that.
"Even in our tough periods this year we have still been competitive for the most part."
Kulusevski scored his seventh and eighth Premier League goals of the season (36 outings), more than he managed in his first two league campaigns with Tottenham combined (seven across 48 games).
Only in the 2019-20 season with Parma has the Sweden winger scored more times in a league season (10 in Serie A), and Postecoglou hailed Kulusevski's returns.
He added: "I thought Deki was good. He's worked awfully hard this year without a lot of reward in the front third.
"We thought playing him through middle today would help us with his mobility and ability to run in behind. He did well.
"He always works hard but it's that sort of final third where we need him to get rewards and he got them today so he did well."
Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.
Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.
Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.
Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.
The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.
Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider
Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.
That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.
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