As one may expect, when Paul Adamson suffered a heart-attack it came as a great shock to all concerned, including his teammates in the Darlington RA football team, writes CRAIG STODDART.

So when they won the Darlington Charity Cup just weeks after the incident in late April, they immediately donated the £500 reward to the British Heart Foundation.

Darlington Building Society awarded the money to Darlington RA who in turn had to decide which charity they felt was most appropriate.

Before the heart attack, Paul, a centre-forward with West Auckland in the Northern League for 14 years, had notched 38 goals.

Paul turned up to cheer on his teammates in the final, and his presence spurred the team on to victory said secretary Martin Jackson.

Doctors have told Paul his playing days are over but he is hoping to begin refereeing which he took up last year.

Pictured is Paul (right) with Peter Walley from the British Heart Foundation