John Macken is happy to be a mentor

Jon Macken has been around long enough to enjoy his football – and knows it can be snatched away in an instant.

The Saddlers veteran was left shocked after former Preston mentor and Blackpool youth coach Gary Parkinson was struck down by a stroke last September.

Parkinson is now battling 'locked-in syndrome' – a complication from a serious stroke – which left him completely paralysed, although he can communicate with eye movements.

It puts tomorrow's visit of Bury firmly in perspective for Macken as he reflects on a 15-year career in which he has plundered 124 goals in 512 games. He is now the elder statesman in the Saddlers squad but insisted he would not have got anywhere without others – including Parkinson.

"There were a few. Gary Parkinson, who is ill at the moment, gave me a lot of advice when I first went to Preston," said the 34-year-old, who played with Parkinson for Preston between 1997 and 2001. I spoke to his family in the summer and there was a charity game. "It just shows that you never know what's around the corner. He was fit and training and then suddenly something happens and your life is in turmoil."

Read the full story in the Express & Star.