Leeds United legends come together to raise funds for former Whites captain Brendon Ormsby

Ormsby made 57 appearances for United, scoring 7 goals between 1986 and 1990 and under his leadership, Leeds reached the FA Cup semi-final and Division Two play-offs in 1987.

After leaving Elland Road, Ormsby had stints at Doncaster Rovers and Scarborough then, after retiring from playing football, worked as a postman, Elland Road tour guide, Press Association match-day reporter, Yorkshire Evening Post columnist and coach for Leeds.

It was through his job delivering mail that he got to know Pete Hopton, organiser of the fundraiser alongside former Whites player John Stiles.

“Brendon was our local postman after he retired from football - I used to walk the dog with him,” Hopton told the YEP.

“He was someone in my area who, after football, we could talk to and have a bit of banter with, as well as an ex-Leeds player who was a great captain.

“He was a figure in the neighbourhood - that’s why I like to help.”

Today, Ormsby is struggling with his health after suffering a stroke and battling neurodegenerative disease following years of heading the ball on the football pitch.

Hopton and Stiles are putting on a fundraising event on Thursday March 3 to raise money to support the former centre-back and his wife, Wendy, who cares for Ormsby.

Gordon Strachan, John Sheridan, Bobby Davison, and Ian Baird are among a clutch of Whites legends who will answer fans’ questions at the fundraiser, held in the Norman Hunter suite at Elland Road, while the current United skipper Liam Cooper is set to donate prizes for a raffle to raise extra funds.

Hopton hopes that the opportunity to see heroes from throughout the club’s history will encourage fans to give generously for Ormsby’s cause.

“It gives a chance for the lads to meet the legends,” Hopton said.

“It’s not often you get Gordon Strachan to come in for a bit of a chat.

“It’s great that he’s coming along, and all these players are giving up their time for nothing.

“The football community is coming together, it’s really good.

“Half the players haven’t played alongside Brendon, but they’ve come together to help out which is brilliant, I think.”

Stiles, who made 65 appearances for Leeds in the late eighties, told the BBC: “Brendan was a great player and a great feller and, as anybody who has a dementia sufferer in the family knows, it’s not just the sufferer - it’s the people around them, and we just want to see if we can help the family.

“We want everybody to come and have a great night, get their hands in their pockets, if they would, and see if we can help a great lad, and a great player who put his heart and soul into the club.”

Tickets for the event cost £30 per person and can be secured by emailing Pete at [email protected].

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