Workington are helping raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association when they take part in a tournament at Longridge on Saturday.
The tournament has been organised, for a second year, in memory of the Longridge skipper George Melling who died from the disease. He was also a former Kendal Town player.
Longridge are playing Clitheroe, with an 11.30am kick-off, in the first game and Reds will go on at 2-30pm to play the West Lancashire League side Coppull Utd.
On Sunday Bamber Bridge will take the place of Workington whilst Fulwood Amateurs take the place of Copull United and the winner of that game will play the final against whoever won between Longridge and Clitheroe.
Reds lost their opening friendly on Tuesday – 2-1 at Whitehaven – and manager Mark Fell expects to have different players available for this latest warm-up game.
Longridge is a small market town, about eight miles from Preston and all proceeds from the 2024 George Melling Tournament will go to the MNDA.
It’s a charity close to Reds’ hearts, of course, as their former midfielder Tony Hopper was struck down by MND – a disease which has struck a host of sportsmen in recent years, including the high-profile pair of rugby league’s Rob Burrow and rugby union’s Doddie Weir.
George, who was 37, died in 2022 after being diagnosed the previous year and he was captain of Longridge at the time.
He had been on the books of Blackpool and Morecambe before dropping into non-league where he played for Altrincham, Kendal and Colne before joining Longridge.
Longridge manager Lee Ashworth, said at the time of George’s death: “Ever since he got the disease everything he did was inspirational. Of the 2,000 players I have played with and managed he was everything you want in a football team on and off the field.”
“He kept fighting to the end. I will think about him until the day I die.”
