A reunion of Middlesbrough's 1986-87 promotion squad has raised thousands of pounds for the Gary Parkinson Trust, supporting the former Preston North End player who has lived with locked-in syndrome since 2010. The event at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Thursday night was organised by Parkinson's former teammate Bernie Slaven and saw most of that historic squad come together once more.

Tony Mowbray, the captain of that side and now Blackburn Rovers manager, gave an emotional interview about his friend's condition to BBC Radio Lancashire. "The manager's coming from Exeter, Gary Hamilton's coming from Texas, can I drive two hours to Teesside from Blackburn?" Mowbray said. "Friends for life, Parky was an amazing young man."

Mowbray described how Parkinson, now 58, communicates solely through blinking and eye movements. "When we talk, he understands and listens to everything, he just can't communicate back, other than flick his eyelids," he said. "But he's so funny and because he's got one of these computers that can try to answer for him, he laughs." The Lancashire Evening Post reported that an auction and raffle at the event contributed to a significant fundraising total for the trust.

A squad reunited

The gathering brought together the core of the team that secured back-to-back promotions under Bruce Rioch, who also attended. That success followed a period of severe crisis for the club, which faced extinction with debts around £2 million and the gates to Ayresome Park padlocked. A consortium led by current chairman Steve Gibson saved the club just three weeks later, paving the way for their dramatic rise.

He later played for Burnley and Blackpool among other clubs, becoming a well-known figure across Lancashire football. His career spanned Bolton Wanderers, Middlesbrough, Everton, Southend, Stalybridge Celtic, and Rossendale United before a stroke in 2010 led to his diagnosis of locked-in syndrome.

Preston's current campaign

While the football community rallies around one of its own, Parkinson's first club is enduring a tough start to the season. Preston North End currently sit 24th in the Championship with just three points from six games, having lost four of their last five. Their most recent result was a 1-0 home defeat to Lincoln on Saturday. The team has scored six goals but conceded twelve, leaving them with a goal difference of minus six and eleven points adrift of leaders West Ham.

Attention now turns to a difficult trip to face fourth-placed Queens Park Rangers this Saturday. The squad will be looking for inspiration from the camaraderie and resilience shown by the generation of players like Gary Parkinson.