Kevin Ellison, a 47-year-old forward for non-league Vauxhall Motors, has spoken publicly about his battle with depression and his remarkable longevity in football, having recently played his 1,000th career game. He is set to become one of the oldest players to appear in the FA Cup when Vauxhall Motors face Thackley in the preliminary round, capping a 29-year career spanning 18 clubs and all eight tiers of the English game.

Ellison's career included a single Premier League appearance for Leicester City in 2001 as an 84th-minute substitute against Manchester United, after which he never played top-flight football again. He later suffered severe depression linked to family problems and financial worries, describing a "darkest moment" driving on the M6 when he contemplated crashing his car, and credits speaking out and seeking counselling with helping him recover. Rejected by boyhood club Liverpool at 15, despite training alongside Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard, he worked on building sites and delivered furniture before earning a £50,000 move to Leicester.