Sir Bobby Robson inspires Newcastle United supporter on 800-mile marathon run to St James' Park

Newcastle United supporter Matthew Smith got a glimpse of home on Tuesday as he arrived at Ipswich Town on the latest step of his marathon fundraising efforts for suicide prevention charity If U Care Share Foundation.

The 30-year-old, who co-founded the foundation following the passing of his brother Dan in 2005, kicked off a run of over 800 miles at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium last Monday morning and has since visited a further ten Premier League stadiums across the south as he winds his way towards the finishing point at St James Park. After completing all London-based stadiums over the weekend, Smith reached Portman Road, home of Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town on Tuesday afternoon and was immediately drawn towards a statue of a man who served both the Tractor Boys and his beloved Newcastle with great distinction.

There was additional poignancy in being faced by the statue Sir Bobby Robson as the next time Smith comes face-to-face with the English managerial legend will be when arrives at the finishing line of his mammoth run at St James’ Park.

After arriving at Portman Road, he told The Gazette: “I finished off (at Ipswich) and went to get a photo with Sir Bobby, which obviously has to be done and I said I’ll see you on the other side at St James Park as well, which will be nice. The connections (between Ipswich and Newcastle) are nice and it gives you that little bit of a lift when you need it when things are tough.”

Temperatures in the south have made life increasingly difficult for Smith as he ticked off over half of the Premier League stadiums he will visit throughout his fundraising run. He gave an insight into the impact it has taken on his body and is hopeful the pain will all be worth it as he tries to hit a fundraising target of £135,000.

“It’s warm, very warm,” he explained. “It’s been 27 (degrees) most of today (Tuesday) and yesterday it was 32 or 33 and it’s just not ideal weather to be running in. I don’t deal well with the heat at the best of times and there have been quite busy roads to run on. It’s been an interesting couple of days but we are plodding on. I’ve done just over 30 miles in the heat and I’ve been icing my feet and my knee because my knee is in quite a bit of pain at the moment, it’s very swollen. I’ve been nettled to bits so I just hope all of the nettles and the pain are worth it when I get to St James Park.”

Smith’s efforts have been given a welcome boost by Nuffield Health Newcastle, who have organised rehabilitation and recovery sessions over the next week. Visits to Nuffield sites in the Midlands have been arranged and Smith has admitted their timing is perfect as he prepares his body for ‘a serious amount of strain’ as he heads towards Leicester City’s King Power Stadium.

He said: “There will be a few days on the road, trying to scratch off as much as I can heading towards Leicester and getting towards the back end of the week coincides with the Premier League season starting. Nuffield Health Newcastle have answered my call in terms of recovery and I’ll be getting massages throughout the Midlands because they are going to be the seriously tough miles where my body is going to be in a serious amount of strain even more than it is now and I’m very grateful for that.”

On their offer, a Nuffield Health spokesperson said: “At Nuffield Health, our purpose is to build a healthier nation, and the work of If U Care Share in suicide prevention is incredibly important. Our teams will be on-hand at key stages throughout Matthew’s mammoth run to every Premier League football ground in the UK, to offer our support.”

To donate to Matthew’s fundraising efforts click here and to find out more about If U Care Share Foundation click here.