Former England and Arsenal legend Tony Adams delighted football fans as he returned to the pitch for the first time in more than two decades.
The 58-year-old, who is the new chairman of trustees at the addiction charity Forward Trust, turned out at Margate FC’s Hartsdown Park on Saturday to play in the Emma Urquhart Cup.
The footballing hero described the game, played in memory of Ms Urquhart, a former volunteer with the charity who had been battling her own addiction troubles, as “absolutely exhausting”.
“I thoroughly enjoyed it, actually. One tackle first half, it took me right back there,” said Adams, who played for England on 66 occasions and won four league titles with Arsenal.
“I’m more than happy to put my boots on to honour Emma’s memory and the great work the Forward Trust do.”
“I’m very proud to be chairman. I’m very proud to put the boots back on.”
The match, which was between a Forward Trust XI and the Reach Out and Recover team, went to penalties, which Adams’ side lost.
However, having originally planned to only play 10 minutes, the defender lasted more than an hour in his first appearance in 23 years.
The Emma Urquhart Cup is named after a former volunteer, who tragically died last year.
She had turned her life around after going to jail for burglary in 2020, and dedicated the last few years of her life to helping other addicts.
But aged just 42, she died at her home in Ashford after struggling with her own battle with drugs.
An inquest into her death earlier this year heard heroin and cocaine were found in her body after Emma was discovered unresponsive on her bed.
She had suffered a heart attack, linked to years of drug and alcohol abuse.
Adams himself has been in recovery for almost 30 years, having suffered from alcoholism while at the height of his career.
He described the work of the Forward Trust as “all about recovery” as he expressed his delight in taking part in remembering Ms Urquhart.
“I’ve been in the addiction world now for a long time. I’m in recovery, coming up 29 years myself,” he said.
“We’re helping a lot of ex-offenders and people who are living on the streets in Margate.
“We’re getting them into work, doing some great stuff, so I’m only too happy to lend my name and lend my time.
“At the end of the day, it’s easy sometimes to give money away but to actually come down here and connect, because the opposite of addiction is connection, is very important to me.”
