Reds legend will cheer on world record attempt

Former Manchester United and England midfielder Gordon Hill will be the guest of honour at Witton Albion’s Evo-Stik Northern Premier League clash with Whitby Town on Saturday when fans will attempt to break the world record for ‘punted goals’ from the halfway line in aid of Sports Relief.

The one-time wing man and 1977 FA Cup winner, pictured, now lives in the US where he runs highly-successful soccer schools and camps.

The 59-year-old has been in talks with the Premier Division club for some time to set up a Northwich-based academy to develop young talent from both sides of the Atlantic and is currently in the UK with a party of students learning about the English game.

They will see five sponsored supporters raising funds and hoping to make international headlines for the charity if any of them can beat the record of 11 goals in 60 seconds, currently held by Spain’s World Cup winning keeper Iker Casillas.

Albion's U11s, champions elect of their league, will be introduced to the crowd during a lap of honour before kick off and the funds raised for Sports Relief on the day will be doubled by Barclays Bank who’ve pledged to match it with a donation.

To ensure a big crowd and maximum donation, officials have also announced that they are running their popular 'families for a fiver' promotion admitting two adults and an unlimited number of under 16s to the fixture.

Witton Albion Chairman Mark Harris is delighted that Hill’s visit coincides with the family day and record attempt and is looking forward to welcoming him to the club and introducing him to supporters.

He said: "I’ve known Gordon for many years and his record with developing young players is very impressive. I hope that his party enjoy their visit and that we can give them a good impression of Evo-Stik Northern Premier League football.

"It’s also a great opportunity for Wittoners and football fans in general to meet with Gordon and chat about his footballing career."

For more information visit: www.wittonalbion.com.