Ex-Burnley FC stars gear up for Lenny Johnrose charity match

A raft of former Clarets stars are set to appear in a charity match between Burnley FC Legends and Swansea City Legends to raise funds for the Len Johnrose Trust and promote awareness of Motor Neurone Disease.
Former Burnley midfielder, Lenny Johnrose.Former Burnley midfielder, Lenny Johnrose.
Former Burnley midfielder, Lenny Johnrose.

Diagnosed with MND in March 2017, former Burnley midfielder Lenny Johnrose (48) recently spoke out about living with the disease, prompting an outpouring of support from former teammates and fans alike and leading Burnley and Swansea - for whom Johnrose made over a quarter of his appearances as a professional - to organise a charity match in his honour.

Keen to do their bit for their former teammate, a long list of former Burnley FC stars have signed up to take part in the match, including Brian Jensen, Dean West, Graham Alexander, Micky Mellon, Steve Davis, Ian Cox, Mitchell Thomas, Paul Weller, Chris Brass, John Mullin, Andy Payton, Gareth Taylor, Alan Moore, Tony Grant, Paul Cook, Andy Cooke, Ronnie Jepson, Glen Little, Robbie Blake, and Francis Johnrose.

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All told, the Clarets Legends team will boast over 2,000 appearances for Burnley and will be managed by the legendary former Clarets duo of Stan Ternent and Sam Ellis as manager and assistant respectively.

The match will see Burnley Legends face off against Swansea Legends.The match will see Burnley Legends face off against Swansea Legends.
The match will see Burnley Legends face off against Swansea Legends.

"We're absolutely delighted to be doing this in support of the Len Johnrose Trust, and I'm sure that Lenny will also be so proud and delighted to see his former teammates on the pitch playing a charity match in support of him," said Veronica Simpson, Burnley FC Former Players Association Secretary.

"Even guys who aren't playing - people like Graham Branch, Kevin Ball, Ian Moore, and Gordon Armstrong - turning up shows the level of support in that squad and the teamwork ethic these guys have for each other," Veronica added. "It shows what a good cause it is as well."

With father-of-three Lenny having been born in Preston, the match will take place at 1pm on the 11th of November at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium, the home of Bamber Bridge FC, with Former FIFA and Premier League referee Mark Halsey manning the whistle and the Burnley Supporters Club sponsoring the match.

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Tickets for the match are £10 for adults and £5 for kids and are on sale right now from the Bob Lord stand main reception area, while Veronica will also be in the club shop on the day of the Chelsea game from 11am to 1.15pm for those who want to buy a ticket before the game as well.

There will also be tickets available on the gates on the day, although people are encouraged to buy in advance to give organisers an idea about necessary stewarding provision. All proceeds are going to the Len Johnrose Trust, while there will also be bucket collections and the chance to buy raffle tickets at the game.

"Turnstiles open at 12pm, and we'd all just like to express our sincere thanks to Bamber Bridge FC for all their support in hosting what we hope will be a brilliant event," said Veronica. "They have been fantastic."