Former South Devon footballer inspires fundraising event in battle against MS

A special fund-raising event is being held as former South Devon amateur football talisman Dave Stocker battles the crippling condition Multiple Sclerosis.

Dave, now 55, played for a string of top South Devon League and Western League teams in an amateur career which began during his teenage years.

The 'South Devon Football Get Together' is being organised by Dave's footballing colleague and friend Tony Bowker. Dave said: Tony calls me regularly just to ask how I'm getting on which means a lot.

"He recently called me to say that he is organising another get together for past South Devon footballers, but this time he wants to incorporate a fund raising event for an MS charity.

"I said that I go to the South West MS Centre in Exeter every week for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and have also been to neuro physiotherapy sessions there.The HBOT is also used by others who have other medical issues like recovering cancer patients, fibromyalgia or any condition that HBOT may give a needed boost.

"I also get the opportunity to meet other MS patients and we talk about our own personal experiences and basically give each other information that may offer a new tactic to make life a little easier for each other. The staff there really care and it is a lovely, friendly place that I will continue to use for as long as I can."

The event is taking place at the Palace Place Social Club in Paignton on Saturday November 14 (7.30pm). Organiser Tony Bowker says: "We just hope to see some old faces and have a chat about old times. It is hoped many former players and current ones will attend." He can be contacted on 07868757207.

Meanwhile Dave Stocker has talked openly about being diagnosed with the condition and how multiple sclerosis ironically and cruelly claimed the life of his former Torquay Boys' Grammar School teacher Chris Penford, whom he looked on as the perfect role model and who became a family friend.

Dave, who read the eulogy at Chris's funeral in 2018, said: "Before my diagnosis of MS I can't recall anyone that I knew who had had this chronic disease, except one person. And that person was someone who I had the utmost respect for, someone who was a prominent figure right through my teenage years and somebody who I regarded as a perfect role model, not just to me, but thousands of boys who had the privilege to be taught by him.

"He really was a hero in my eyes. Chris Penford was my sports master at Torquay Boys’ Grammar School and as a sporty lad I was selected for many school teams including rugby and cricket, but predominantly football.

"After hearing of Chris’s diagnosis I was really sad for him and his family. I'll admit that I didn't really know exactly what MS was. I knew that it wasn't good and, at some point, it usually meant you would end up needing a wheelchair. When I heard that Chris wasn't well enough to continue working at TBGS and that the school had arranged a send off for him on a Saturday morning at the school there was no way I was missing this. Hundreds of others agreed too! The room was full."

He added: "Every now and then I’d pop round to his house, just for a chat, maybe a cup of tea. As time went on I continued visiting Chris and I thought that although there is no cure (yet) for MS I wanted to do something nice for him to enjoy with his family.

He told me that, along with his wife Liz and his daughters Katie, Laura and Hannah that they enjoyed times spent in Cornwall, so I decided to organise a fundraising event at Torquay Athletic Rugby Club and we raised £800.

"I took the money to Chris, knowing full well that he’d be uncomfortable with this. I explained that a group of lads just wanted to put a smile on his face and to enjoy the money with his family.

"When I spoke to his wife Liz after his funeral in 2018 she told me that he felt that a MS charity was the place to give the money.

"It does feel ironic that I also have MS. I would have loved to have sat with him and talked about our personal experiences. That would have been interesting."

Dave was first diagnosed with MS in the middle of Coviid lockdown. He says: "Today I am over five years in and my condition has deteriorated somewhat, but I think I cope the best that I can and this is helped immensely by the love and support that I receive from my amazing wife, Julie, our brilliant sons Matt and Kai and the rest of my loving family, great friends, my bosses at work and my work colleagues who totally understand my condition and give me full support. I am so grateful for all of this."

Dave Stocker's Remarkable Story

Born at home in Hartop Road, St Marychurch, in November 1970, two weeks early after his mum broke her waters in a fall, Dave Stocker enjoyed what he describes as a wonderful childhood.

Growing up, days were spent outdoors playing football, building camps and getting into mischief with the other local children. His back garden backed onto a lane where youngsters gathered safely to play, while Torquay Golf Course's first green was just a corner kick away. Their football goals were the large green generator doors, although retrieving stray golf balls from the hedge occasionally resulted in trouble!

Dave attended St Marychurch C of E School, where headmaster Mr Wightman instilled good manners, respect and strong values. Football dominated playtime, with Liverpool and Manchester United regularly battling it out. Dave insisted on being Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, his boyhood hero and favourite player to this day.

He was just seven when selected for the school team, although his first appearance, a 0-2 defeat away at Oldway, proved challenging against much older boys.

Saturday afternoons were equally special. Dave regularly walked to King George V playing fields to watch local football, becoming familiar with the players and characters representing St Marychurch Spurs, Hele Spurs, Torbay Police and Torquay Hungarians.

Little did he realise that many of those familiar faces would eventually become teammates, managers and lifelong friends.

A golden ticket at grammar school

In September 1982, Dave started at Torquay Boys' Grammar School. Among his teachers was the legendary sports master Chris Penford.

On receiving his timetable, Dave immediately searched for his PE teacher's name. When he spotted Mr Penford, he felt as though he had found his own Golden Ticket.

The pair developed a friendship that continued long after Dave left school. He considered Chris a tremendous role model and was honoured to read the eulogy at his funeral in 2018.

At 14, Dave's playing career began to gather momentum when Torquay Hungarians manager Julian Jurak invited him to a pre-season training session. He subsequently joined the club's reserves before making his first-team debut in South Devon League Division One, providing the cross for Paul Fitton to score the winner in a 2-1 victory over Hele Rovers.

However, a visit to his father's butcher's shop from Old Grammarians manager Charlie Aggett soon changed things.

"Why have you signed for them? You're a Grammar school boy. I'm putting in seven days' notice of approach and you can sign for the Old Grammarians!"

There wasn't much room for negotiation!

Dave joined the Old Grammarians, helping them finish runners-up in Division Four and the Les Bishop Cup. He was enjoying the challenges of senior football and learning the importance of the social side of the game.

Making his mark in South Devon football

After a successful junior career with Paignton Wanderers, Dave joined STC under manager Brian Tapley, playing alongside many school friends.

He was particularly impressed by the club's first team and, after watching them win the Herald Cup in 1988, decided he wanted to play at that level.

Following the departure of captain Dave Cadwallader, Dave saw his opportunity and joined STC for the 1988-89 season, aged just 17.

He made an immediate impression, helping the team beat reigning champions Stoke Gabriel 2-1 in his first match. The season ended with a Belli Cup winners' medal, a fourth-place league finish and a Herald Cup semi-final appearance.

The following campaign proved even more successful. STC finished runners-up in the South Devon League Premier Division, defeated Newton Spurs 2-0 in the Herald Cup final and reached the Devon Premier Cup final, losing narrowly to Chelston.

It was also where Dave developed a lasting footballing partnership with Tony Bowker, an uncompromising midfielder and fierce competitor. The pair would spend nine seasons playing together.

In 1991, aged just 21, Dave was appointed captain by player-manager Brian Derby.

Moved into central midfield, he began scoring regularly and led a young side to the Herald Cup final, where they lost 0-1 to Newton Spurs.

Dave still jokes with Tony Bowker about a crunching tackle in the opening minute of that final, which Tony believes should have earned him the man-of-the-match award rather than Gary Perry for his winning goal!

County honours and two championship medals

After a successful spell with Northern Telecom, formerly STC, Dave decided he needed a fresh challenge.

He joined Stoke Gabriel under manager John Cudlipp for the 1993-94 season. It proved an inspired decision, with the club finishing runners-up in the Devon League and winning the Devon Premier Cup after beating Tavistock 4-2 at Plainmoor.

The following season became the most significant of Dave's playing career.

In October 1994, Stoke Gabriel chairman John Banks arrived in the changing rooms with some unexpected news. Dave had been selected for the Devon county squad to face Somerset in the South and West Counties Championship.

Initially expecting to be a substitute, Dave was astonished when manager Mike Symons handed him the number eight shirt and named him in the starting line-up.

Playing alongside John Durham, Dave produced what he describes as the best performance of his career, scoring both goals in a memorable 2-0 victory.

Among the spectators were former colleagues Phil Blurton and Martyn Worth, whose presence made the occasion even more special.

Dave retained his place in the Devon side for the next four seasons.

His county debut also attracted attention from several Western League managers. After initially agreeing to join Tiverton Town while remaining committed to Stoke Gabriel, Dave eventually made the move permanent in February 1995.

He finished that season with two championship winners' medals: one from the Devon League with Stoke Gabriel and another from the Western League with Tiverton Town.

Goals, friendships and unforgettable journeys

Following his spell at Tiverton, Dave joined Bodmin Town, where he rekindled his partnership with John Durham.

He made an immediate impact, scoring the winner on his debut and finishing his first season as leading goalscorer with an incredible 27 goals in just 24 appearances, including five hat-tricks.

Despite wanting to remain at Bodmin, financial considerations initially threatened his place. However, a prolific pre-season helped secure his retention.

When Tony Bowker subsequently offered him an opportunity at Dawlish Town, Dave accepted and began what would become four highly enjoyable seasons.

Tony's ambition was to return Dawlish to the Western League Premier Division, and the club eventually achieved that objective, finishing runners-up behind big-spending Minehead.

The campaign was arguably the most enjoyable of Dave's career.

Dawlish recorded 30 wins, five draws and just three defeats in 38 matches, with an excellent squad featuring former Torquay United players Phil Lloyd and Richard Hancox, alongside Dave Cadwallader.

But it wasn't just the football that made the experience special.

Tony became famous for arriving at away games with two enormous containers of sandwiches and two large flasks of coffee for the players. His musical tastes were equally memorable, with Queen's Greatest Hits becoming a regular feature on the team coach.

After victories, Phil Lloyd would rename Queen's classic 'Another One Bites The Dust' as 'Another Three Points To Us'.

It remains a song that immediately takes Dave back to those happy days.

The following season, Dawlish comfortably established themselves in the Premier Division.

However, family life was beginning to take priority. Dave and Julie welcomed their first son, Matthew, in October 1999, and increasingly demanding travelling commitments were taking him away from home.

After one particularly demanding period involving long journeys and midweek matches, Dave realised he was missing too much time with his young son.

He made the difficult decision to leave Dawlish and return to more local football.

Newton Abbot was his next destination, where familiar faces and former teammates made the transition enjoyable. He scored 17 goals before the end of October and spent three seasons with the club.

Highlights included finishing runners-up in the Devon League and beating Dartmouth on penalties in the Devon Premier Cup final at Plainmoor after a thrilling 3-3 draw.

When his second son, Kai, arrived in July 2004, Dave decided the time was right to bring his playing career to an end and devote his weekends to family life.

His collection of medals and more than 20 individual player-of-the-year awards provides a reminder of a remarkable amateur football career.

But Dave insists the friendships are the greatest reward.

He later spent around 15 years coaching teams involving both his sons, encouraging passing football, teamwork and enjoyment rather than individual accolades. Today, he and Julie enjoy watching Matt and Kai play.

A life-changing diagnosis

In January 2020, shortly before the Covid lockdown, Dave began noticing something wasn't right.

During regular dog walks around the woods at Haccombe, he found that his left foot would gradually drag, making it difficult to lift his leg over tree roots. He frequently tripped and fell.

Initially, the family laughed about his misfortune, with his sons joking that there was no point diving because they weren't going to award him a penalty!

However, other symptoms soon developed, including increasing urgency to use the toilet, back and hip pain, and eventually bowel and bladder accidents.

After visiting his GP, Dave was referred for investigations, including an urgent MRI scan to rule out Cauda Equina syndrome. Further examinations led to a recommendation for an urgent neurology referral.

But months passed without an appointment.

By June 2021, his symptoms had deteriorated considerably. When he contacted the neurology department himself, he was told that, because of the pandemic backlog, patients referred in September 2020 were only then being seen.

Dave realised he might have to wait until well into 2022.

"I burst into tears, the only time I have cried over all of this," he recalled.

He decided to seek private medical attention and arranged an appointment with neurologist Dr Ramtahal at Mount Stuart.

Following a thorough examination, he was sent for MRI scans of his brain and entire spine.

On August 4, 2021, he received the diagnosis he had feared.

He had Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

More than five years on, Dave acknowledges that his condition has deteriorated, but he remains determined to cope as positively as possible.

He credits much of his strength to Julie, their sons Matt and Kai, his wider family, friends and supportive employers and colleagues.

Giving something back

Dave continues to receive support through the South West MS Centre in Exeter, where he attends weekly hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) sessions and has also undertaken neurological physiotherapy.

The centre provides an opportunity to meet other people living with MS, share experiences and exchange information that might help make everyday life a little easier.

He speaks warmly of the staff and the welcoming environment, describing it as a place he intends to continue visiting for as long as possible.

One person who has remained particularly close is former teammate and friend Tony Bowker.

Tony regularly phones simply to ask how Dave is getting on, something he says means an enormous amount.

Now Tony is organising a reunion for former South Devon footballers, combining the occasion with fundraising for an MS charity.

The South Devon Football Get Together takes place at Palace Place Social Club, Paignton, on Saturday November 14, from 7.30pm.

Dave hopes to see plenty of familiar faces from his playing days.

After a lifetime spent enjoying football, collecting memories and building friendships, he is now grateful that those connections can help support a cause that has become so personal to him.

For Dave Stocker, football has always been about much more than winning trophies. It is about friendship, loyalty, family and the people who stand beside you when life presents its toughest challenges.