At the match with... Mark Maddox

At the match with... Mark Maddox

The Reds fan and former Altrincham defender salutes Liverpool’s scintillating season so far and explains his own inspiring campaign

If there was one thing Mark Maddox thrived upon as a player, it was a battle. For over a decade as an Altrincham defender he relished robust tackles, aerial duals, the lot. So it’s been no surprise to those who know the staunch red that he came out fighting three-and-a-half years after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. With a third marathon in the pipeline and a blog attracting loads of visitors each month, he tells us about his love for Liverpool FC...

“It was mid-December 2010. I was sitting in the Kop with my two sons, watching an uninspiring game against FC Utrecht. A few weeks earlier I had been diagnosed with a terminal muscle-wasting illness called Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and advised by doctors to make the most of that year’s Christmas. As you can imagine that was a bit of a shock, especially considering I had a wife and three young kids to look after.

Average life expectancy for MND is two-to-five years and over half die within 24 months. As I sat, looking around Anfield - a place I had been coming to for the last 36 years - I had a million thoughts going through my mind: My illness; my family; my life in general, and how it had all been taken away from me through no fault of my own (MND has no cause). But most of all, I was thinking: I'll never see Liverpool win another league title!

How it looked in the recent Tottenham programme

Watching the Reds this season has been a rollercoaster of emotions for me. I've attended all the home games, barring one or two where I haven't been well enough, and most away games too. The performance against United was fantastic and shows how strong we have become this season; going to Old Trafford and dominating the way we did is never easy, but we tore them apart with our high intensity and free-flowing football. Spurs today is another massive fixture, but if we impose our game on them – as we did in Manchester - I'm confident we’ll come away with the points. I’ll stick my neck out and say 3-1 to the Reds!

I said at the start of the season, if we believe in ourselves we can achieve great things. We as fans have to trust the management and the players to get it right - they haven't let anyone down so far and I don't expect anything different from here on in. Fulham away is the game that sticks in my mind, as we approach the most crucial part of our season. We weren’t at our best but got the win anyway and I drove back from Craven Cottage that night believing something special could be on the cards. They say it’s games like that which make you the champions!

Since my diagnosis I have tried to stay as positive as I can regarding my future and this season I have linked up with the MND Association to help raise awareness for the disease within football. The match-day poster was in the programme against Everton and it's gone unbelievably well so far, with most Premier League teams and over 150 clubs in the UK signed up. I’ve recorded two CDs with our band, including a song I wrote called Justice496 which is dedicated to the victims of Hillsborough and their families. I have jumped out of planes (with a parachute on!), written honest blogs about living with MND and completed two marathons (Liverpool and London). I will attempt London again on 13^th April, determined to put MND in the spotlight.

Trying to raise awareness for the disease is often frustrating because it's so rare and not yet well-known. It is described by doctors as ‘the worst disease known to science’ because it wastes away all your major muscles leaving you unable to walk, talk and ultimately, breathe - which is obviously a big one! The more awareness we raise the more help with funding we get to help with research into eventually finding a cure. 

I've been told by people that my fight against MND has inspired them, but as I always tell them: We all inspire each other – not least my fellow MND sufferers, who I see courageously fighting for their lives on a daily basis. Watching that game against FC Utrecht three-and-a-bit years ago, I could never have imagined being alive now. That might sound a bit dramatic but it's the truth. I have achieved a lot in that time with the love and support of my family and friends. I hope Brendan and the lads read this for a little bit of inspiration, because watching the Reds this year has inspired me. Perhaps the thoughts I had on that cold December night were a little bit premature! Come on Red Men – make us dream!”

You can read Mark's blog at www.markmaddox.co.uk