R's to visit Bristol Rovers

Last updated : 13 May 2004 By Mark O' Haire
Bristolian Shore, a former England youth international, was tipped for the top until a serious knee injury ended his professional career two years ago despite undergoing pioneering transplant surgery both in this country and America.

Shore said: "Ollie was a major influence on my career and I'm absolutely delighted everything has now been agreed.

"We have kept in touch over the years and it will be great to see him and players like Jamie Cureton and Marcus Bignot again.

"The good thing is that this is a serious pre-season friendly, not some sort of joke match. It will give Gasheads chance to see the team Ian Atkins is building in action against First Division opponents.

"Both Ollie and Geoff Dunford have been great in agreeing to stage the game."

Since leaving Rovers, where he scored five goals in 29 senior appearances, Shore has been running his own Soccer Schools operation in the Bristol area as well as acting as BBC Radio Bristol's pundit at the Pirates' away games. He said: "I'm 26 now but my knee is in quite a serious state and the likelihood is that I will need further surgery as I go through life. This game will help towards those costs."

Shore, who was recently made director of football for South Gloucestershire Schools, working alongside head of sports development Kim Hazeldine, added: "We hope to have two teams of our kids playing each other during the half-time interval at the QPR game."

Full story by Bristol Evening Post.