Post by medwayyellow on Feb 17, 2009 12:07:18 GMT
Some time since I've been here - I live in Suffolk now. Older on-line U's may remember "Medway Yellow"'s stuff around the 97-00 period when the website first started up. That's me. I used to go home & away with pal Archie Spleen & my 2 kids. The youngest, Jack, was named Jack Matthew Maddams after Matt Hanlon. He was a very, very talented footballer who was on Gillingham's books between the age of 8 to 15, when he was released & joined Tonbridge Angels. He was in the reserves before his 16th birthday, made it to the last 32 of the England Schoolboys squad and was on the threshold of great things when he tragically died in his sleep last March, days before his 18th birthday. It was later found he died of a form of Sudden Death Syndrome, which claimed such lives as Marc-Vivien Foe, Simon Donnelly, and Paul Sykes of Folkestone Invicta.
The game at Tonbridge is being sponsored by his family and CRY, the charity that raises awareness of the condition, gives support to families and is actively working to provide the simple ECG tests that would indicate a problem - Jack was a fit, healthy lad who on the face of things was in the prime of his life. The game between the club he last played for and the club he learnt to love football at is in his honour.
Jack was a mascot twice at Sutton when he was a tot, and managed to kick off the "Blondie Blondie What's The Score?" chanting at Aylesbury a few days after his 9th birthday in the decisive match of that championship season as 10 man Sutton destroyed blond diver Paul Rutherford & his fellow ducks.
Jack loved football. he loved the crack of anything surrounding a game and in following the U's. There will be collections at the ground on Saturday in aid of CRY, so I would respectfully ask that you consider giving generously for this. His team mate Ashley Ulph played at the Lane last Saturday for Maidstone - my proudest day would have been seeing Jack in chocolate & amber which was certainly possible.
Further info about CRY can be found at www.c-r-y.org.uk
Thanks,
Roger
The game at Tonbridge is being sponsored by his family and CRY, the charity that raises awareness of the condition, gives support to families and is actively working to provide the simple ECG tests that would indicate a problem - Jack was a fit, healthy lad who on the face of things was in the prime of his life. The game between the club he last played for and the club he learnt to love football at is in his honour.
Jack was a mascot twice at Sutton when he was a tot, and managed to kick off the "Blondie Blondie What's The Score?" chanting at Aylesbury a few days after his 9th birthday in the decisive match of that championship season as 10 man Sutton destroyed blond diver Paul Rutherford & his fellow ducks.
Jack loved football. he loved the crack of anything surrounding a game and in following the U's. There will be collections at the ground on Saturday in aid of CRY, so I would respectfully ask that you consider giving generously for this. His team mate Ashley Ulph played at the Lane last Saturday for Maidstone - my proudest day would have been seeing Jack in chocolate & amber which was certainly possible.
Further info about CRY can be found at www.c-r-y.org.uk
Thanks,
Roger
