A COUPLE say a family in Nunsthorpe terrorised by gangs are "not alone", having been subjected to four years of abuse which left them spending their evenings cowering in an upstairs bedroom.

The couple, of Patrick Street in Grimsby, claim they were left "traumatised" by daily attacks between 2004 and 2008 which included youths demanding money to not smash their windows.

After reading the Telegraph's shocking front page story about how a Nunsthorpe family were rehomed under police escort following a vendetta, the anonymous couple decided to tell their own story. The husband said he was forced to give up work as his wife was unable to be left at home on her own and that their son moved away from the area to avoid the abuse.

"We were just spending our days waiting for the night time to come when the gangs would come out," he said.

"Each time the gangs were just going absolutely wild, it was crazy.

"It has quietened down in recent years after some of them moved away or were sent to prison, but we're still worried they will come back."

The couple claim they had 80 logged incidents with Humberside Police in just a year but that "it just kept happening".

"We have had councillors here and the gangs have been outside trying to damage our property right in front of them," said the husband.

"We would stay upstairs until 11pm or midnight each night until it calmed down.

"For a year we had to use the back door to get in and out of our house.

"One of them used to constantly try to get money out of my wife, they would follow her to the shop or bank and force her to hand over cash.

"Then they would knock on the door and say 'give me £5 or £10 and we won't smash your windows in'.

"I told them I would never give them money and in the end I paid thousands getting my windows and doors replaced.

"Many of our neighbours said they thought we we're being treated awfully but they didn't want to get involved. Lots of people were scared back then."

The husband said things have improved in recent years after the police launched a crackdown and a number of families were evicted.

But even now he admitted the slightest noise can put the couple on edge.

"We sometimes get a bang on the door and straight away we're worried," he said.

"It makes you really nervous thinking they are back again.

"My wife has been left absolutely traumatised, I had to leave my job because she is too scared to be on her own.

"She won't stay in the house on her own and our son now lives away.

"If she sees a gang now she gets really nervous, she gets panic attacks and she's on tablets to deal with it all.

"I know where that family is coming from and I have got a lot of sympathy for them.

"It just stays with you."

If you have information about violence or antisocial behaviour, report it to Humberside Police by calling 101.

ROB Scott is on Stockport County's radar – but no contact has yet been made with Grimsby Town's former joint boss.

Less than a week after his Blundell Park sacking was confirmed, Scott is being linked with the managerial hot-seat at Edgeley Park.

Conference North County saw previous boss Ian Bogie resign this month, with his number two Alan Lord taking charge of the team.

But with the Hatters hoping to confirm their permanent boss next week, Scott appears to be one of the leading candidates for the job.

Speaking to the Telegraph, County CEO Ryan McKnight admitted that he is someone the board has discussed.

"It's purely conjecture at the moment, but the board are well aware of Rob Scott and all of his attributes," he said.

"To be honest, I'm just surprised he parted with Grimsby Town – but there are obviously reasons that has happened, which are nothing to do with us.

"He's a person that's on the radar for us, but this is set to be a relatively long process.

"In terms of where we're at as a football club, this is a really important appointment for us, and there are many factors to it.

"There is a board meeting due for next week and we're hoping to reach a decision around then.

"At the moment, Alan Lord has taken temporary charge and we're extremely happy with what he's doing. So it's very much Alan's to lose rather than anyone else's to gain."

Scott is understood to be a friend of former County vice-chairman Spencer Fearn, who remains the club's majority shareholder.

And McKnight insists Scott's track record makes him an attractive proposition – even without previous co-manager Paul Hurst who has taken over the Mariners reigns on a sole basis.

"Spencer's a friendly guy and is friends with a lot of people, and football is a small world – everyone has a connection and it's quite easy to join those dots," he added.

"It doesn't surprise me that Rob is being linked. He is somebody who has done well at this level and has just come out of a job – that's football isn't it?

"He hasn't got a track record as a sole manager but then neither has Paul, so you just need to take every case on an individual basis.

"As it stands, the club hasn't met Rob or anything like that, and Alan is very much in charge."

The Grimsby Telegraph has joined forces with North East Lincolnshire Council to highlight the issue of neglect. Lucy Greensmith reports from a professionals conference about what plans are in place to help.

"WE DON'T need to leave children to suffer in silence ... we have to give them a better start in life."

These are the words of Chris Cuthbert, head of strategy and development at NSPCC, who spoke to a packed out audience of professionals in Grimsby to launch a plan to tackle the neglect figures in the borough.

Health professionals, members of North East Lincolnshire Council, NSPCC Yorkshire And Humber and North East Lincolnshire Local Children's Safeguarding Board (LSCB) joined forces to put a plan together to tackle the high figures of neglect in North East Lincolnshire.

The parents of 516 children in the borough have been investigated just in the past 12 months – and of those, 239 are of "serious concern", with evidence of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

It was expressed that neglect is a "complex" topic which ranges from emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, poor hygiene and much more.

Joanne Hewson, strategic director people and communities in North East Lincolnshire Council, discussed the shocking figures.

"It is very, very clear the commitment of professionals working with children in the borough," Joanne said.

"It is evident neglect is complex and it doesn't always happen to families who suffer with poverty.

"Comparing poverty nationally, North East Lincolnshire is ranked 120 out of 150.

"To tackle this poverty we will use our resources the best we can, train our staff, provide the public with easy access information and we must focus on early intervention."

In the borough, from September 2012 to September 2013, 387 children were sexually abused.

Joanne added: "The neglect figures are significant and we need to look at ways of doing things differently.

"Our main plan is to make the workforce multi-skilled, redesign services with other organisations and focus on early intervention."

Neglect is "the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the impairment in the child's development or health."

Chris, from NSPCC, revealed some shocking figures that one in ten school children across the UK have been neglected.

He said: "It's fantastic to see so many people who are passionate to achieve this plan of lowering numbers of neglect.

"There are so many myths with the word neglect but it causes so much misery to thousands of children and in the worst cases; death.

"We need to tell the members of the public the signs of neglect which are: an unkempt child, often turns up late to nursery/school, unsupervised at home, feeling low emotionally and much more."

Other signs of neglect are:

The child lacks stable friendships

Medical appointments are frequently missed

The child has unclean clothes

The parent/carer frequently shouts or loses control with the child

The parent/carer limits support with reading, writing and learning at home.

Sue Woolmore, independent chair of LSCB, said: "This is a milestone in child safeguarding in North East Lincolnshire.

"We will do our absolute best to tackle children who are being neglected.

"Children's needs aren't being recognised and it is a harsh reality that children are being neglected out there.

"It leaves them feeling very lonely, depressed and it also affects their health such as growth.

"Neglect doesn't just affect children it also affects teenagers.

"Our overall plan is to show awareness of what neglect is and looks like and what to do when a person is concerned.

"There is more help and support than ever before."

An organisation who regularly checks the health of children from 0 to five years is the North East Lincolnshire Health Visiting Service. They support families across the borough with home visits and information.

Gill Jefford, health visitor team leader, said: "I support families in Nunsthorpe and Bradley and we are the next step from the midwife.

"We help parents with the child's health, parental emotional support and general advice.

"We home visit to get a flavour of how it is going and to make sure everything is going smoothly."

Ian Lindley, North East Lincolnshire councillor and portfolio holder for children's services, added his concerns on the topic. He said: "Neglect is a prominent issue in our area at the moment.

"It is important the public play their part so they can act and come forward."

For help and support, or if you have concerns about a child, contact the NSPCC helpline, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on 0808 800 5000, e-mail help@nspcc.org.uk or text 88858.

DANGEROUS railway crossings in Lincolnshire will be closed or made safer after £110 million was earmarked for improvements nationally.

The Office of Rail Regulation is spending the cash on shutting 500 level crossings in Britain within six years.

There will also be new bridges, underpasses, gates and signs where people have been killed or narrowly escaped death.

It is a particularly poignant project for Grimsby, as Paul Hodge, 47, and David Williams, 40, were killed at a level crossing in Great Coates in April.

Just hours after the tragedy, three men and a youth were spotted crossing the railway line nearby – seconds before trains were due – leading to warnings from experts.

There are 7,000 crossings in the UK, including 281 in Lincolnshire, and Network Rail claims there are hundreds of incidents each year of people jumping barriers or driving into box junctions.

The £110 million investment means the organisation can continue with its ongoing policy to seek to close or divert crossings or introduce safety features where practicable.

Spokesman Rachel Lowe said: "Crossings over railways are part of the heritage that we inherited from our forebears.

"They were fine for traffic speeds and volumes when the railways were originally built, but not now.

"Where we can, we work with local authorities to divert routes and build footbridges."

Figures supplied by the Rail Safety and Standards Board show one accidental death at a Lincolnshire level crossing in the past five years.

Teaching assistant Moira Koune, 30, died after her car became stuck at the South Drove level crossing in Spalding and was hit by a train in January 2009.

In addition, there were four minor injuries to workers from slips, trips or falls, one minor and one major injury to cyclists, two cases of a train striking an empty car and three reported near misses, one a road vehicle and two with pedestrians.

An inquest into the deaths of Mr Hodge, of Grimsby, and Mr Williams, of Cleethorpes, is expected to be held in January before a jury.

It will follow the submission of a report into the fatal crash compiled jointly by British Transport Police and Rail Accident Investigation Branch.

The friends were returning from work on Immingham Docks de-waxing cars when their car was hit by a train.

SURVIVORS of Typhoon Haiyan are receiving a helping hand from the people of Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

Many have been touched by the terrible plight of the Filipinos left behind to deal with the utter devastation caused by the natural disaster, and are rallying round to do their bit.

Today, shoppers in Cleethorpes will be urged to give what they can to the Phillipines relief fund by the Cleethorpes Rotary Club.

Members of the club will be collecting donations in St Peter's Avenue, today between 10am and 4pm, and will be showcasing a ShelterBox.

These small boxes do big things, by providing equipment for life-saving shelter and aid to victims of disasters.

ShelterBox, a national organisation, is currently working hard to deliver supplies to families affected by the typhoon, which was the biggest storm ever recorded to reach landfall.

It destroyed buildings and wiped out villages, causing more than 10,000 fatalities and leaving 800,000 people homeless.

The Cleethorpes rotary branch is raising money to send even more boxes out to needy victims.

Meanwhile, a staff nurse at Grimsby's Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital has donated his winnings from a competition to help survivors.

Mark Lawrence, who works on ward C5 at the Scartho Road site, was the winner of a contest to launch a new hand hygiene campaign.

The infection prevention control team at the organisation which runs the hospital, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, launched a poster competition as part of their efforts to step up the fight against bugs.

They challenged staff to come up with a new, fun and eye-catching design for posters to promote hand washing among patients, visitors and staff.

Mark won a £100 voucher for his design, which will soon be featured in the entrances to all three hospitals.

He said: "I'm thrilled to have won and hope my design helps us in the fight against infections in our hospitals. The situation in the Philippines is terrible and I wanted to do my bit to help out."

And the Barton Lions are contributing to the relief effort with a £500 donation direct to the Phillipines.

Member Jeremy Walker is currently working in its capital city, Manila, but remains in contact with the group.

His last communication was that the money had been received.

Fellow Lion John Oxley said: "Jeremy is distributing the money around the local area.

"Jeremy has been a member for more than 10 years and his father was also a member.

"We have been thinking about him since we saw the news and it was good to hear from him."

THE mum of a Grimsby chef who has made it through to the latter stages of a TV cookery competition says he owes his success to sheer drive and determination.

Former Grimsby Institute student Tom Morell, 25, sealed his place in the semi-finals of Masterchef: The Professionals with an assured demonstration of his culinary skills on Thursday night's show, as reported on www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk.

And the talented cook, who started his career making sandwiches at the Blue Wave Cafe in Cleethorpes, now works in Geneva preparing meals for the directors of luxury watch maker Rolex.

And his proud mum Susan Rice, who has been watching the programme from her home in North Somercotes, said his achievements should act as an inspiration for other young people to follow their dream.

Recalling how he once drove all the way to Bath on a Lambretta to secure a job at a Michelin-starred hotel, she said: "Being a chef is all he ever wanted to do and we are all very proud of him. He has always worked the hours and he has got such a lot of drive.

"It just shows what you can achieve if you put your mind to it and are determined. If anyone has got a passion for something, just do it. Tom has done it all off his own bat."

Susan, 49, who runs the Ark Animal Rescue Home at Donna Nook, says the former Humberston School pupil discovered his passion for cooking as a teenager.

"I worked long hours at the vets as a single mother and he started cooking at home. There were lots of experiments and messy kitchens to come home to!

"We used to bake on a Sunday and he used to help his brother bake. We did some bread-making once and he left it in the conservatory and the cat got in and ate it! He was always trying different things."

Tom trained at the Grimsby Institute and got his first job at the Blue Wave Cafe before moving onto Millfields in Grimsby and then the Kingsway Hotel in Cleethorpes.

He spent six years in Bath working for various hotels and restaurants before taking up his current role in Geneva.

Susan said Tom intends to come back to the UK when his short-term contract in Switzerland is over, and believes his appearance on Masterchef should help him find a job quickly.

She admitted that Tom did not inherit his skills as a chef from her, but joked: "His dad was half Italian so it probably came from him."

Family members have been gathering round the TV to follow Tom's progress on the show, with his grandmother Pauline Rice, sister Laura Morrell and brothers Jack Sharman and Oliver Morrell all eager for his next appearance on December 4.

Susan said: "We have got used to seeing his face on the television and he has done really, really well.

"Every time the doors open it's like the X Factor. It is really exciting."

A GREAT-great grandma is now sitting proudly atop a family tree that spans a remarkable five generations.

The newest addition to the Johnson family, of Grimsby, was born just two weeks ago to add to the 50-something members of a growing family.

Little Esmai Grainge was born to mum Jessica Grainge and dad Daniel Mardling on November 1, just two weeks after another great-granddaughter was born into the family.

Remarkably, great-great grandma Eppy Johnson is just 79 years old.

She admitted she would never have believed that 62 years ago when her and her late husband Christopher had their first child that such a big family would be created.

Between great-great grandma Eppy and little Esmai the generations are spanned by great granddad Graham Grainge, 57, nanna Rachel Deakins, 37, and mum Jessica, 22.

"We have got a lovely big family and we are all so close," said Eppy.

"It still hasn't quite sunk in yet. We see the odd 'five generations' stories in the paper and I am hoping that, at 79, I am one of the youngest great-great grandmas!

"It's an honour to be sitting at the top of our family tree, I had my first daughter at the age of 17 and never dreamed the family would grow to this size.

"You get married and there's two of you, then you have children and it just keeps growing, now there's over 50 of us.

"It's certainly going to keep me busy having another two additions to the family, but I am very proud."

Jessica said: "I'm still getting used to the idea of being a mum, it does make you feel a little bit older.

"We had another baby born into the family just two weeks earlier and we were hoping they might come on the same day.

"Esmai was born 13 days late, so she obviously wanted to have her own birthday!"

Eppy said: "Despite there being so many of us we are very close and look out for each other.

"We all live in the Grimsby area which helps, we see each other regularly and I think the fact that we all have a good sense of humour helps too."

MANAGER Paul Hurst says Dayle Southwell is coming back to Blundell Park a better player.

The young Grimsby Town forward, 20, spent the last month on loan at Conference North side Harrogate Town.

But after featuring three times – and scoring once – for the Yorkshiremen, Southwell, pictured, returned to the Mariners' ranks ahead of schedule.

Hurst told the Telegraph: "Dayle's been out on loan and played a few games – although not as many as I would have liked due to illness, but I still think it's been a good experience for him.

"What I would say is that the days when he's trained with us, he has looked sharper as though the spell there has given him a spring in his step.

"I now want him back here – although that might not come to fruition straight away in terms of him being in the matchday squad."

With the Mariners preparing to battle on three fronts – in the league, the FA Cup and the FA Trophy – the return Southwell will add depth to the Mariners' attacking options.

Hurst added: "In terms of me looking after our best interests, the window is closing soon and I don't want to leave ourselves short.

"We've got a lot of games coming up, irrespective of what happens in the FA Cup. The Trophy is just around the corner and it might be that Dayle's involved with those games.

"Today would have been his last game but it was a Trophy game and I didn't want him cup-tied.

"If we have the sort of run that we did last year then we'll have a lot of games and I might choose to use Dayle so I don't want him unavailable to us.

"The ambition is to have a good run in it and if we do, I'll need to call on as many players as possible."

KEVIN Keegan thinks anyone who predicts World Cup glory for England in 2014 is probably 'bonkers'.

The 62-year-old, who captained and managed the Three Lions, was the guest speaker at a Harbour Place charity event on Thursday.

Speaking at the Beachcomber, Keegan declared that summer success was extremely unlikely for Roy Hodgson and co.

However, the ex-Newcastle, Fulham and Manchester City boss is eagerly anticipating the finals in Brazil.

Keegan said: "If you're talking about winning the World Cup, any English guy would say you are stark-raving bonkers.

"They haven't sauntered through to Brazil, but they have done okay and qualified as we thought they would.

"I think the best they can hope for is the semi-finals and if they can do that, it would be similar to winning given the players they have now.

"With the lack of English players in the Premier League, there is a limited choice for Roy Hodgson.

"I think they will get through the group, but after that it depends because it will be a tough and exciting tournament."

Keegan – who led England to Euro 2012 during his 20 month spell in charge – has tipped Spain or Germany to lift the crown.

And given that he handed Three Lions debuts to Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, pictured, the two-time European Player of the Year will been keeping a close eye on next summer's events.

Keegan added: "I'd like Gerrard and Lampard to have a good finish to their England careers.

"I gave both of them their first international caps, so I hope they go out in a bit of a blaze of glory.

"Of course, winning it will be the perfect end – and great for us!"

A MAJOR new service has been launched in Grimsby to help patients be assessed, treated and discharged on the same day.

Ambulatory Emergency Care (AEC) will provide urgent same day treatment for patients so they do not have to be admitted to hospital if there is no requirement.

Patients with certain symptoms who arrive via A&E or are sent by their GP are fast tracked for assessment and appropriate tests by the acute medical team, enabling them to be treated quickly and sent home.

Some of the cases covered by AEC include mild asthma, falls, suspected blood clots, chest pains and skin infections.

The new service, which is being piloted at Grimsby's Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital from Monday until December 20, will be located on the acute medical unit and will be open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Consultant acute care physician Dr Srujan Ardhalapudi said: "Ambulatory care applies to some conditions that can be treated without the need for an overnight stay in hospital. Patients receive the same medical treatment they would previously have received as an inpatient."

People will be referred to the unit by either their GP or staff in the accident and emergency department at the hospital.

There will be six ambulatory emergency care chairs on the acute medical unit. Once the pilot has been completed, the service will be reviewed with additional patient pathways added to the list.

Dr Ardhalapudi continued: "The unit is all about ensuring medical emergency patients are managed in the most appropriate way.

"They will be seen by a senior clinician and decisions made quickly about their care. They will have fast access to diagnostics ensuring treatment can be started immediately, which means they don't have to stay in hospital overnight."

Patients will have to meet a specific set of criteria before they are referred to the service. The types of patients include low risk pneumonias, cellulitis, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), non cardiac chest pains and people who have suffered first seizures.

Dr Ardhalapudi said it was about ensuring patients were seen and treated in the right place by the right people.

He added: "It is about trying to reduce the number of emergency medical patients admitted to hospital as low risk patients can be managed as outpatients and discharged back to the comfort of their own home.

"Ultimately we aim to provide a fast, responsive service that helps patients get home quickly as we know that people would prefer to be in their own homes than in hospital."

If the patient requires further treatment they will either be asked to attend the unit the following day or given an outpatient appointment. If the clinician decides they require more intensive treatment, they will be admitted to the hospital as an inpatient.

THE Clifton family are preparing flamboyant dance moves for a carnival themed routine to join their son on the BBC show.

Opening tonight's Strictly Come Dancing show will be parents Keith and Judy Clifton at The Tower Ballroom, Blackpool.

Also performing will be dance champion Joanne, Kevin's sister, Karen, Kevin's fiancee who recently got voted out of the show and 21 couples from Cliftons Dance Academy.

Keith said: "I am absolutely delighted to be dancing on the show and the programme will be giving a big push to Grimsby.

"Joanne has come all the way from Italy to perform and a mini bus has transported all the social couples from our dance school.

"Judy won the British quick step competition at the Tower too. The Tower is the spiritual home for dancing."

Here is Keith's latest column:

The first time a celebrity hits the bottom two you can see and feel the sheer disappointment that it brings, visions of holding that glitter ball aloft disintegrating before their eyes. Dave and Karen knew that winning was a distant dream but participating for such a long time, making people smile, improving every week and just enjoying the Strictly experience is unforgettable. Sadly, losing a dance-off brings all this to an end.

As Dave said: "I think I'll spend Monday watching telly."

Karen was genuinely upset because they had a really honest and fun relationship and a lasting friendship. Well done to Karen for a great effort with a very special human being.

The run-up to the final will now gather momentum and importance with everyone looking over their shoulder, like the last few laps of an Olympic track event.

Anything less than an eight now will start alarm bells ringing.

Any negative comments from the judges will touch nerves and start to sway public opinion.

Where are the votes going to go from those who supported celebrities who have left the show?

The voting system now becomes more prominent.

The judge's marks are translated into positions on the leader board, but tied couples get equal marks and the next couple get the next mark, they don't drop down a place. For instance, if the top couple gets 10, the next two couples are tied and get 9 points each. The fourth couple get 8 points not 7. So the spread of marks is closer.

However, the public votes are unlikely to produce a tie, so the marks are probably attributed 10, 9, 8, 7 etc this making the spread wider.

The upshot of the mathematics is that you may have 8 points from the judges but only 1 point from the public, thus being beaten by a 6th position from the judges and a 4 from the public.

It means the public vote is so important now.

We hope that some of Karen and Dave's votes will now come to Kevin and Susanna who, although constantly high on the leaderboard, will still feel the pinch if they don't perform well for all concerned, as Abbey has already discovered.

Their Waltz, I have to say as a dance teacher, was beautiful.

It was again technically sound and perfectly choreographed.

I suspect there were a few dewey eyes around the country.

Susanna looked delicious in her gown and the expression throughout the dance was top-class.

This weekend's programmes are going to be memorable.

Watch out for some familiar faces in both shows.

The Tower Ballroom, Blackpool, is the scene of some of Kevin's finer moments in Juvenile and Junior competitions.

It is the ancestral home of ballroom dancing and, believe me, it's going to be some party.

Whatever you do don't miss it and please keep voting, they need you!

FOOTBALL icon Kevin Keegan has mixed memories of his visits to Blundell Park – with Grimsby Town serving up some real 'highs and lows' during his time in the sport.

The former Liverpool, Newcastle and Hamburg ace, who began his career at nearby Scunthorpe, was the guest speaker at a charity dinner held at the Beachcomber on Thursday night.

Born near Doncaster, it was Keegan's first trip back to the area since his Fulham side faced the Mariners in the semi-finals of the Division Two play-offs in 1997/1998.

After a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage – in what was incidentally his first game in charge after the sacking of Ray Wilkins – the 62-year-old brought his Londoners to the coast on May 13.

Town midfielder Kevin Donovan netted the winner in a 1-0 triumph, just as he did less than two weeks later in the resulting Wembley showdown with Northampton.

However, Blundell Park was not an entirely doom and gloom venue for Keegan.

Indeed, the ex-England captain and manager guided Newcastle to a 2-0 victory over the Mariners in 1993 – a result that clinched the Division One championship for the Magpies.

Keegan told the Telegraph: "I have up and down memories of managing at Blundell Park.

"I took over as manager for the Grimsby games, and they knocked us out for a deserved place in the play-off final.

"Those were my first two games and I remember them well. We finished sixth that year and Grimsby came third.

"Coming here with Fulham was an obvious disappointment, but Grimsby were a much better side than us that year.

"But before that, I came here with Newcastle and clinched the league title – that was a great day for us and it was great to do it here, as I was born not too far away just outside of Doncaster.

"There were some ups and downs here, but that is football and you can't always be top dog."

Aside from his direct tasks at Blundell Park, Keegan travelled to Cleethorpes on regular scouting missions, citing the setup as a key factor in determining the qualities of potential singings.

He added: "I've always loved coming to watch games here on the coast.

"I felt it was a really good place to watch games, and players, when I was the manager the first time around at Newcastle.

"Firstly, it wasn't too far away, but secondly it was always a bit windy and cold here.

"That meant players had to want to play.

"If you saw them with sleeves down and gloves on, that put a little bit of doubt into your mind that they were a fair weather player.

"Grimsby was a good place to come and watch for that reason, that and the compact atmosphere inside the stadium."

During his latest visit to the Cleethorpes coast, Keegan was the headline act in a charity event hosted by Harbour Place.

The two-time European Player of the Year was a real hit with the 270-strong crowd, helping to raise over £13,500 for the cause.

After a successful 17th annual dinner, which also featured Kevin Connolly (comedian), project director Allen Young said: "It was a real coup for Harbour Place to get Kevin involved.

"It was a great evening, and the people I have spoken to all had a wonderful time."