Ellison plays on in the NPL at 46

The veteran striker is going round again with Vauxhall Motors and was their second highest appearance maker last season, scoring 15 goals in 44 games.

He made his senior debut way back in 1996 for Southport, then in the Conference, and went on to make a Premier League appearance for Leicester City.

Now nearing 1,000 appearances, Ellison has played in all but one of the top eight tiers of the football pyramid (Step 2/Tier 6 the only one he has missed out on!).
 

Ellison told BBC Radio Merseyside: “I love it. What else am I going to do on a Saturday afternoon or a Tuesday night?!

“I am grateful my body allows me to. I’ve got friends who retired early, got friends who packed in because their body was breaking down but luckily for me, my body still allows me to do something I love, and long may it continue.

“There’s a bit of luck. When you’re a footballer you do get injuries and I’m fortunate enough that I’ve had no serious ones. But you’ve got to look after yourself and manage yourself away from the football club.

"I do my yoga, my swimming, I do all kinds and there’s times I push myself and I’ve noticed over the last couple of years when I have pushed myself thinking I’m still 21 I start to feel a few little things. I manage myself to make sure I’m right on a Saturday."

READ MORE: Hunger, luck and yoga - veteran forward Kevin Ellison thriving at 45

Ellison is perhaps best known for his spell at Morecambe, where he made nearly 400 appearances, but also played in the Football League for Stockport, Lincoln, Chester, Hull, Tranmere, Rotherham, Bradford and Newport.

In the NPL, he has turned out for Rylands, City of Liverpool and now Vauxhall Motors, after a brief stint playing in step six with Runcorn Town.

Vauxhall Motors, who made the NPL West Division play-offs last season after finishing fifth in the table, get their 2025/26 season underway at home to Stalybridge Celtic on August 9.