Carrow Road reunions as City legends return for dementia charity game

Some of the biggest names to have worn yellow and green from a host of eras returned to NR1 to feature for a Ken Brown legend team in front of a 1,400-strong crowd.

It was a rare opportunity to see the likes of Ruel Fox, Chris Sutton, Grant Holt and Robert Fleck feature in the same side, with heroes of the Milk Cup winning side in 1985 featuring on the pitch and watching on from the stands.

Prior to kick-off, City's longest-serving boss Brown and ex-captain Dave Watson emerged from the tunnel with the famous trophy from that 1-0 victory over Sunderland 36 years ago.

Asa Hartford, whose shot was deflected off the chest of opposition defender Gordon Chisholm, wrong-footed goalkeeper Chris Turner and crept inside the near post for City's winning goal, was also in attendance.

Kevin Drinkell, Ian Butterworth, Tony Spearing, Peter Mendham, Mark Barham and John Deehan, who recently went public with his battle against dementia, were also present at Carrow Road.

The afternoon started with a tour of the Canaries' Colney training centre before two open top buses took the players to Carrow Road.

Their opposition was a make-up of local non-league footballers assembled in a Paul Chick all-star team.

Chick was a popular and successful local Norfolk boss, having three spells at Norwich United as well as managing Wroxham, Diss and Lowestoft. He sadly passed away in 2020 at the age of 66 after a battle with the illness.

Numerous studies have now concluded that playing football increases the likelihood of being diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease.

A study conducted by Professor Willie Stewart concluded that outfield players were almost four times as likely as an ordinary member of the public, with defenders developing dementia in later life roughly five times more often than the public at large.

Norwich have seen legends of the club Duncan Forbes and Martin Peters taken prematurely after battling the illness. Forbes' widow Janette and members of the Peters family were in attendance for this fixture.

Brown and his family have been staunch supporters of the Football Against Dementia charity since its inception and were heavily involved in bringing several players back to Norfolk for the occasion.

After seven years spent as John Bond's assistant, Brown went on to lead Norwich as manager and is regarded as one of the best in the club's history.

Former Norwich City manager John Deehan was also in attendance for the fixture. (Image: Ian Burt)

Brown achieved plenty in his 367 games in charge of City, including leading Norwich to the Second Division title and overseeing that famous Milk Cup victory, as well as bringing through young players like Jeremy Goss, Dale Gordon and making a number of influential signings.

Contained in the matchday programme for this fixture was a host of quotes from famous people on City's former boss - including from Martin O'Neill, Joe Royle and, most noticeably, from legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

"I was always a great admirer of you," Ferguson said on City's former boss, as quoted in the Football Against Dementia programme.

"You were always a source of support and encouragement in my early days in management, plus you are a good man."

Football Against Dementia is a non-profit organisation designed to help all people affected by dementia. Led by Trevor Saunders, the hope is to raise awareness of the illness and its effects on both sufferers and their families.

In terms of the game itself, Brown's team of legends claimed a 4-2 victory, with Holt rolling back the years to net an impressive second half brace, including an audacious chip to secure the victory.

Sutton chipped in two assists, first to tee up Ryan Jarvis to open the scoring and then to former teammate Fox, who made no mistake from close range.

Steve Chick, son of Paul, netted a penalty for the all stars, but it was eventually up to Watson to lift the trophy in front of supporters in the South End.

Over 1,000 supporters attended the game at Carrow Road. (Image: Ian Burt)

The game followed one held at Great Yarmouth Town in 2021 in memory of Sutton's father Mike, who battled dementia until his death in 2020. His son has since used his platform to push for change within the game.

The Norfolk FA is trialling the removal of heading in U12 matches for the entire season after receiving approval from the International Football Association Board.

Norwich City this year offered Carrow Road up as a venue to host this year's game after it was originally scheduled to be held at Plantation Park, home of non-league side Norwich United.