Tigers legends rally in memory of Shaw Lane’s Dan Wilkinson

SHAW LANE will continue to raise money in memory of Dan Wilkinson, who died after collapsing during a game earlier this season, with a special match against Hull City legends on Sunday April 23.

Wilkinson, 24, fell ill during the Evo-Stik NPL Division One South club’s league cup match against Brighouse Town and died following serious complications with his heart.

Shaw Lane have since named a stand at their ground after the popular former Hull defender, who had joined in the summer from Rushall Olympic, and retired his number five shirt.

A Shaw Lane invitational side will take on a Hull City Legends XI at Blackburn Leisure Sports & Social Club near Hull in a fortnight.

Ex-Tigers Dean Windass, Bryan Hughes and Darren France are due to play in the game that has a £5 entry fee and kicks-off at 1pm.

There will also be an auction as they aim to raise as much as possible for the Daniel Wilkinson Foundation, set-up by his family to honour his memory.

Shaw Lane assistant manager John Reed said: “He was a wonderful lad. Very, very popular with everybody at Shaw Lane. It was as if he’d been there ten years. That’s the kind of character he was. I’ll remember that night at Brighouse all my life.

Memories

“I speak to his father every three or four weeks and you can guarantee within five minutes one of us will be crying.

“My memories are very clear. I can picture it now. He used to walk in, he was 6ft 5ins and he’d say, ‘Alright Reedy’. I’d say, ‘Alright big man’. He’d sit down, get his energy drink and his food and that was him. On the field, he was a fabulous player. Fabulous.”

Brighouse manager Paul Quinn and his assistant Lee Ashcroft will play in the game, alongside Shaw Lane boss Craig Elliott and four of Wilkinson’s close friends.

“All the funds are going to the Daniel Wilkinson Foundation to help buy defibrillators,” Reed added. “We’re trying to raise £50,000. I’ve got to say, Dean Windass has been absolutely fantastic in helping getting this game on and we can’t thank him enough.

“We just hope we have nice weather and a good turnout of people to support Dan, his family and what it’s all for.”