Former Owls striker, John Pearson, who met the pair at the ground, said; "Mike's idea of collecting boots on the day of the Sodje game is brilliant. We hope that other fans can dig out and clean their old boots to bring down to the ground.

"Hopefully we can collect plenty of pairs of boots for the cause, as well as raising money for The Children's Hospital Charity and the Sodje Sports Foundation."

Owls star, Akpo Sodje, said: "Mike's idea is tremendous and I hope the boots he donated are the first of many.

"When I started playing football, I didn't have any football boots. I was just playing with my bare feet. But it was fun and we enjoyed it because we were all playing football and that's what I wanted to do.
"It wasn't the best way to introduce yourself to football, however, and that's the reason we are running the Sodje Sports Foundation."

Supporters are reminded that tickets are selling fast for the Friends of Africa v Sheffield Legends game, priced at just £5 per person of any age. Tickets are available through the club's usual outlets.