IT'S BEEN THRILLS, GLORY AND JUST A GREAT CRAIC!

STUART Coburn celebrates his testimonial this afternoon – and if anyone has earned a day in the limelight, it’s Altrincham’s legendary stopper.

- CHRIS DUNLAVY

The 48-year-old, dubbed England’s No.1 by supporters, clocked up an incredible 689 appearances across two spells at Moss Lane, a club record that will surely never be surpassed. Eight years after injury forced him to hang up his gloves, Coburn will be back at his spiritual home, joined by Alty legends from the promotion winning sides of 2005 and 2014.

To mark the occasion, we asked Coburn to look back on a career that began all the way back in 1994, starting with a canny chairman at lowly Irlam Town and ending 22 years later on a heartbreaking summer’s day in Dover...

FIRST CLUB

Irlam Town, in about 1994-95. It was North West Counties Division 2, so it would probably be about Step 5 now.

I played on a Sunday and one of the managers of my team took over at Irlam. He invited a few of us down and basically filled the team full of young lads. We finished bottom of the league – I think we won two or three games out of 42.

You got a tenner if you won, and nobody got paid otherwise. But the chairman used to shake my hand and put £30 in it. He knew I’d had trials at Rochdale and he wanted to keep me sweet, hoping someone would come in for me.

BEST MANAGER

It’s got to be Graham Heathcote. He was my manager for the majority of my time at Altrincham and I always got on really well with him. He’s managing one of the teams today.

Just a top, top guy. Miserable as sin when we got beat but very funny as well. I remember when we played Luton on the first day of the season and 20 minutes before kick-off he’s in the changing room doing this shopping trolley dance he learned on holiday.

We came in 1-0 down at half-time and he was like ‘What, do you think you’re still on holiday or something? You’re not taking this seriously’.