Nick Anderton

Great stuff from Rovers Scouse Reserve team.

Well done Liverpool!

Bristol Rovers fan set for another huge challenge in aid of community trust and Nick Anderton..

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Gashead Nik Weeks will run seven marathons in seven days for two worthy causes.

Bristol Rovers fan Nik Weeks is no stranger to gruelling charity challenges and he will embark on another marathon effort in aid of worthy causes later this month.

Back in 2020, the lifelong Gashead ran an incredible five marathons in five days, raising more than £13,000 for TOFS, a charity which supports children born without the ability to swallow, after his friends' daughter was born with a condition known as tracheo-oesophageal fistula.

Nik's amazing effort also supported Bristol Rovers Community Trust and three years on, he is set to don his running shoes once again to support the club's charity arm.

From March 12th-18th, Nick will run seven marathons in seven days in a nod to the epic 7-0 win over Scunthorpe last season to clinch promotion, finishing at the Mem before Rovers' League One clash against Portsmouth.

“I’ve had an itch that I’ve needed itching for a while," Nik said. "The last event was during the pandemic, so we never got to finish on a matchday and also my dad was diagnosed with cancer two weeks before, so he was unable to see me cross the Memorial Gates.

"Thankfully he’s much better now so to have him there would be very special. To coincide the challenge with that amazing 7-0 win last May is a great way to involve the fans.

In addition to raising money for the community trust, which supports people facing a variety of challenges across the city, Nik will also raise money for Gas defender Nick Anderton, who is undergoing treatment for osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

“When the news broke about Nick’s diagnosis, it really struck a chord with me," Nik said. "Especially knowing that Nik has two young children like myself, it really hit home and with the full support of the community trust and Nick, I will also be raising money for him too.

“The community trust was so supportive during the last challenge, and I’ve made some excellent friendships with the staff there. The work that they did during the pandemic was incredible and as we’re a community and family club, I feel the community trust is the bedrock of our football club, and we should all be proud of it."

The Seven For Seven fundraiser, which can be found on JustGiving here, is already close to passing the £1,000 mark and Gasheads are also invited to take part.

“I’m also looking for a minimum of seven Gasheads who’d like to train and take part in one of the legs," Nik added. "The support was so good last time that it would be great to have more members of the Gas family to get involved with the challenge.”

Nick has announced his retirement. I think with the nature of the cancer we all knew it was coming but still very sad news. 

Nick Anderton - Total Career Stats: Played 245 & 8 goals - Honours, Bristol Rovers, League Two promotion: 2021–22. (BRFC games 39 & 3 goals)

Nicholas Jack Wilmer Anderton (born 22 April 1996) is a former English professional footballer who played most prominently for Barrow, Carlisle United & Bristol Rovers.

On 28th July 2022, it was announced that Anderton had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, requiring him to undergo an operation on his femur.

On the opening day of the 2022–23 season, as Rovers hosted Forest Green Rovers, both sets of players wore shirts in the warm-up to show their support for Anderton.
There was also applause in the sixteenth minute of the match, representing Anderton's shirt number at Rovers.

During the match, after Aaron Collins equalised, he dedicated the goal to his teammate, holding up a replica shirt with Anderton's name on the back.

After the match, manager Joey Barton said that Anderton's surgery would likely leave him unable to walk for a year, vowing that both he and the club would support the player and his young family with Barton promising to run the London Marathon in order to raise money for him.

Anderton underwent a successful treatment in October 2022 to remove the tumour.
However, in December, it was revealed that the tumour had been sent off for further analysis following the operation, revealing that the cancerous cells were more aggressive than previously thought and that Anderton would require chemotherapy treatment.
Anderton said he was "taken aback" by the support he received.

In order to raise funds for the player, Bristol Rovers started several local initiatives, while manager Barton, as well as the rest of the playing and coaching staff, decided to shave their heads on 16th January 2023, showing support for Anderton and encouraging the club's supporters to do the same, in order to raise awareness of the subject.

On 21st April 2023, Anderton announced his retirement from professional football, after an operation to remove a section of his knee along with 12cm of his femur rendered himself unable to carry on playing professionally.

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If anyone on this thread, or any other Gasheads would like to add their support to Nick, we are holding an event in Street, Somerset, on Sunday, May 21st.
It's 'An Evening with Paul Randall (Punky) & Ian Alexander (Jocky), and £10 per person, with all proceeds going to Nick Anderton.
Full details are here: fb.me/e/Kqojt7ft
Please share this with other Gasheads, and on any other platform that you consider suitable. All very welcome.

Amazing news today. 

Terrific news, Nick.

More excellent news
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67385750
Nick Anderton: Ex-Bristol Rovers defender aims to stay in football after cancer all-clear

Does news get much better than this?

Crack on Nick, get Fylde to L1