Words John Edwards

We're just over a week away from marking Stuart Coburn's stellar Altrincham career with a testimonial match at The J.Davidson Stadium.

The chance to see Stuart in action one last time and thank him for the astonishing 689 times he turned out for the Robins should be incentive enough for booking a place for what promises to be a memorable afternoon on Sunday July 28th.

But there is an extra attraction in the presence of more than 40 of Stuey's former team-mates, who have pledged their support and will squeeze their way into the home and away dressing rooms in readiness for the intriguing prospect of an Alty 2005 Xl taking on an Alty 2014 Xl, kicking off at 3.30pm.

We are bringing you the lowdown on all the players taking part, four or five each day, and you can read about the latest quartet below. And don't forget, tickets for this nostalgia-packed, not-to-be-missed event, which is sponsored by Jones Contracts and will doubtless finish with the famous Stuey fist pump, are priced just £5 for adults and £2 for under-18s and can be bought here.

JAMES OLSEN - only scored once in a fairly brief Alty career, but what a goal it was, a first ever Robins league goal against Aldershot. We had won an FA Trophy tie at the Recreation Ground six years earlier but never faced the Shots in the league when we made our way down to the north-east corner of Hampshire for a Conference National match on Saturday August 27th, 2005.

Decimated by injuries that left the squad shorn of no fewer than 10 first-teamers, Alty were managing to keep the home side at bay when Graham Heathcote turned to his bench and sent on James in place of Lewis Chalmers in the 67th minute.

It paid instant dividends, as Colin Potts curled in a pinpoint cross from the right and James met it with an unstoppable header past the keeper to put Alty in front just four minutes later. The lead was doubled in near-identical fashion in the 78th minute, Colin Little this time applying the headed finish to another Potts right-wing delivery, and a notable 2-0 win was in the bag.

The points lifted Alty to joint-ninth in the table and left Aldershot stranded at the bottom, and James' decisive contribution was, without doubt, the highlight of his time at Moss Lane.

A left-sided midfielder, he had a spell at Tranmere Rovers, where he made six first-team appearances, and briefly played for Macclesfield Town and Vauxhall Motors before joining Alty in July 2005. Bootle-born, he was released by Alty in October 2005 after 5+4 appearances and that one priceless goal.

MICHAEL WELCH - started out at Barnsley before joining Macclesfield Town in 2001 and clocking up over 100 appearances for them over the course of four years. Between 2005-07, he played 84 times for Accrington Stanley, scoring eight goals, and after two years at Northwich Victoria, he arrived at Alty in February 2009, initially on loan.

His time with Alty may have been shorter than at other clubs, but he certainly made an impact. Known as a tall, commanding central defender, it was his eye for goal that quickly became a talking point in Alty fans' post-match discussions in the Noel White Suite.

On his debut at home to Weymouth on March 14th 2009, he popped up at the far post to head Alty in front inside the opening minute, and he topped that a fortnight later when he stunned Crawley Town and the entire stadium with a 27th-minute free-kick from inside his own half that flew past the keeper to put the Robins ahead in a game that finished 2-2.

Unsurprisingly, it earned the Crewe-born Republic of Ireland youth international the Setanta goal of the season award.

An ankle injury that required surgery unfortunately curtailed his Alty career, and he left in February 2011 after making 42 appearances in all and scoring three goals.

BARRY CROWE - at 5ft 4in, Barry was one of the shortest players on the books, as underlined by a club photo of him flanked by Stuart Coburn and Dean Greygoose, where he was just about shoulder height to both!

But what he lacked in inches, he more than made up for with tireless endeavour and enthusiasm as a busy, energetic central midfielder who could be counted on to cover every blade of grass.

Liverpool-born, he joined Alty from Tranmere Rovers but was restricted to just three substitute appearances in his debut season in 1999-00 due to injury problems.

Loaned to Winsford to build up his match fitness and sharpness, he dropped back to full-back, operating on boith flanks, on his return to Moss Lane in the hope of securing more first-team action at the start of the 2000-01 campaign.

Though he performed well in his new role, there was always stiff competition for a starting place, and he left to join Droylsden in January 2001.

KEVIN ELLISON - everyone at Alty soon sensed they had unearthed a gem after Kevin joined us in 1999, but few could have imagined he would still be going strong 25 years later at the age of 45! The term evergreen could have been invented for this remarkable character whose career just seems to go on and on.

A left-sided attacker hailing from Liverpool, Kevin had already had brief spells with Southport and Chorley when Alty signed him from Conwy United for a modest fee. It was repaid many times over, as he took the eye with his pace and goals, most of them courtesy of a left foot that packed a haymaker of a punch,

He scored 16 goals overall in his debut season in 1999-2000 and soon began to attract widespread interest from Football League clubs. There was no sign of that waning when he started the following campaign in fine style, with seven goals in the opening 10 games, and he was duly snapped up by Leicester City in February 2001 for a fee reported to be £50,000 with add-ons.

Though he made only one appearance for Leicester, it was one to remember, as a second-half substitute against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Spells at Stockport County and Chester City followed, and he fetched a six-figure fee when he signed for Hull City in January 2005.

He played for eight league clubs in total, his longest stay being at Morecambe where, over the course of nine years, he played 352 times and scored 81 goals, and, overall, he amassed over 550 League outings and 132 goals in between departing Alty and leaving Newport County two years ago.

Needless to say, he wasn't finished then, as he set about showing he could still cut it at non-League level, turning out for Warrington Rylands, City of Liverpool and Runcorn Town before signing for Vauxhall Motors a couple of months ago.

*Watch out for more updates on players who will be turning out for Stuart's testimonial here on the club's website tomorrow and each day, building up to the game.

You can also donate to the Testimonial via JustGiving here, as we raise funds for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.