Neil Cole wasn’t just pleased with the great opening day result against Canvey Island, but he had a major personal victory himself, the keen fun runner completing his first outing since suffering a major coronary, when his heart actually stopped beating in December.

Not only did he complete the Dulwich Park Run in the morning, cheered on by quite a few fellow Hamlet fans as he completed his three laps, he was gobsmacked to receive one of the brand new Dulwich Hamlet shirts that Dulwich Hamlet Committee Member Andy Greig had arranged as a gift to him from First Team boss Gavin Rose…even before they had been worn in an actual match!

The official Dulwich Hamlet website team found a moment to speak to Neil, after the final whistle at Champion Hill on Saturday evening, asking him how his day went…

“ It couldn’t have been better, my first run back, and there were even a group of Dulwich Hamlet ‘cheerleaders’ from ‘The Rabble’ as I jogged round! It was brilliant to be back running & the football that followed was perfect to kick off the new season.”

We asked him about the surprise gift of the new shirt, too & he gushed:

“ To get a special one before everyone else was really unexpected and a nice gesture from Gavin & the club. I always make a point of running in Dulwich Hamlet colours, so the new one will be perfect for that in future.”

After that we asked him of his future plans…

“ Well I’m going to take it slowly, but today was a great test for me. I think I’m going to be a regular in this Park Run in future. Something I never thought possible, just after I came out of intensive care in January. When I woke up in hospital I never thought I would run again but here I am. The Dulwich Park Run is a regular thing, it’s about three miles at your own pace, doing these five kilometres has been the most amazing feeling, & it’s a no pressure run, suitable for all Hamlet fans, who might want to take part, if they want a bit of a fitness kick for beginners.”

Neil has started blogging about his experiences after collapsing at the end of last year. If you would like to read more & learn what happened just CLICK HERE