October 11, 2021 4.10 pm This story is over 29 months old

Former Imps players to face BHF FC in charity football match this weekend

Raising money for the British Heart Foundation

Former Lincoln City manager and player John Schofield (right) in action during the 2019 cup match against BHF FC's boss Gary Burr (left).

A long list of former Lincoln City players, including John Schofield, Paul Morgan, Lee Beevers and Simon Yeo, will line up in a charity football match against BHF (British Heart Foundation) FC this weekend.

BHF FC were formed in 2017 after founder Gary Burr’s dad Peter sadly died suddenly from a heart attack in 2017. Gary wanted to play in memory of his dad and show support for the British Heart Foundation, where he is now a fundraising manger.

More than £3,000 was raised when the first Peter Burr Memorial Cup match was played between BHF FC and a squad of former Lincoln City players in March 2019. After a 2-2 draw, the Lincoln Legends won 5-4 on penalties – watch the highlights online here.

The two sides will compete again for the same trophy on Sunday, October 17 — tickets will be available to purchase on the day priced at £3 for adults and free for anyone under 16, with any donations also welcome.

This year’s match will be held at Lincoln Moorlands Railway AFC, which is located on Newark Road. The social club will open from 12pm (with gates open at 1.30pm), and the game is due to kick-off at 3pm.

Lincoln Legends will be managed by former Imps’ players Phil Hubbard and Matt Carmichael. The confirmed list of players for the squad already includes the following, who are travelling from various areas in the country:

  • Jimmy Walker
  • Danny Hone
  • Mark Hone
  • Paul Mayo
  • Terry Fleming
  • Paul Morgan
  • Nat Brown
  • Luke Foster
  • Lee Beevers
  • Jason Lee
  • Simon Yeo
  • Scott Kerr
  • John Schofield
  • Paul Miller
  • Dean West
  • Gavin Gordon
  • Marvin Robinson

The BHF FC squad.

Former Lincoln City manager and player Chris Moyses will be attending to watch the game, along with Luke Waterfall, Terry Hawkridge, Jack Muldoon, Grant Brown, Alan Marriott, Lee Frecklington, Tony Lormor and more.

Lincoln City Football Club and Lincoln City Women will also have representatives attending on the day.

BHF FC have raised over £9,700 for the British Heart Foundation since 2017.

Since forming in 2017, Gary and BHF FC have raised over £9,700 – donate to the fundraiser here.

They are hoping to push the total even higher with a raffle and collection buckets on the day of the match.

There will also be a chance for fans to meet the former players for selfies and autographs before and after the match at the Red Imps Trust marquee.

BHF FC manager Gary Burr.

Gary told The Lincolnite: “Me and my dad were both Lincoln City fans and it is nice to play against people we used to watch. A lot of the BHF FC players are Imps fans too, so playing against their idols from growing up is great.

“Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in the UK so the more awareness and money we can raise the better. We are also hoping to do some CPR awareness events in the future, especially with what happened to Christian Eriksen in the Euros.”

Gary Burr, pictured, set up BHF FC in memory of his dad, who sadly died in 2017.

BHF FC aim to compete in friendly matches each season, as well as playing in the National Charity Cup and Peter Burr Memorial Cup.

In this year’s National Charity Cup, which Gary describes as the “FA Cup for charity teams”, BHF FC beat Nightingale FC from Birmingham 2-1 and are awaiting to find out who they will face in the second round.

Meanwhile, Gary also raised over £3,400 for the British Heart Foundation when he ran in this year’s London Marathon.