Fan's 50-mile run in memory of Oxford United legend

An Oxford United fan will take on a 50-mile (80.5km) run to raise money for the club's charity and another set up in memory of a fans' favourite.

Ed Shrimpton, from Dorchester, Oxfordshire, will run from Manchester to Liverpool on Friday for Oxford United in the Community and the Joey Beauchamp Foundation.

The latter was set up by the family of the Oxford United legend, who took his own life in February 2022, to help address the need for mental health support and awareness.

Mr Shrimpton said he was "moving between petrified and excited" as the challenge drew closer.

"I consider myself lucky growing up and being able to watch Oxford in the 1990s at The Manor and Joey fly down the wing and score amazing goals," he told BBC Radio Oxford.

"Doing that with my mates are some of my best memories."

Beauchamp played more than 400 times for his hometown club, scoring 79 times.

"Joey was Oxford. It's all he wanted to do. He achieved his main aim, which a lot of people would be happy to get to," Mr Shrimpton added.

"Obviously after his football career it took a sad turn and he had challenges and really it wasn't until after he passed away that everybody came out [and talked about his talent], which is sad that he didn't get to hear it himself."

Mr Shrimpton, who is a member of the club's running club, United Run Dept, said he had spent "lots of lonely, long miles" alone preparing himself for Friday.

"But the biggest challenge is mental as your legs will take you so far," he said.

"Anybody who has run knows that however far you go, there's a point where you just want to stop.

"So it's getting through that and for me it's doing it for a cause, this brilliant cause, and the money I'm raising. That's what I will be using to get me through that and keep going."

He will miss Oxford's home match against Leeds, which kicks off at 20:00 BST on Friday, but said he hoped he would be able to watch it on TV with his feet up, having completed the challenge.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.