Shaun Whiter and Joey Abbs, the two local footballers who were seriously injured in the recent hit and run incident in Newmarket, were at Town’s Playford Road training ground earlier this afternoon to meet the squad and will be the Community Champions carrying out the matchball ahead of Sunday’s East Anglian derby against Norwich City.
Whiter, who had just joined Newmarket Town, had both his legs amputated, while his friend Joey Abbs, a Soham Town Rangers player, suffered serious injuries to his right leg after they were hit by a car as they repaired a puncture at the roadside in Dullingham Road, Newmarket.
The pair, Shaun's fiancée Charlotte and Joey's wife Harriet were joined at the training ground by the East of England Air Ambulance, which flew Shaun to Addenbrooke’s Hospital to receive emergency treatment.
Manager Mick McCarthy joined the quartet for lunch: "I asked them how long ago it was, the two of them are here in such good spirits and in such a positive frame of mind, but it was only six or seven weeks ago that this horrific accident occurred.
"I was talking to Shaun, he’s wanting to go and work with younger people who are maybe in the same situation as him to try and inspire them and help him. And I’ve no doubt he will, talking to him with his positive personality.
"There were no recriminations about anything, no bitterness, I wouldn’t have said. The only one thing is that they did see the guy driving off and that sticks in their craw, as you can imagine it would, but that was the only one bit and I fully understand that.
"They’re two amazing characters, and of course the ladies that were with them.
"I’ve just asked them how it’s affected them because it’s always the same, somebody becomes poorly in a family and it’s always the one that’s poorly that gets asked and it leaves a real aftermath with everybody else.
"And the four of them have been terrific company, I enjoyed having lunch with them.”
An appeal, which can be contributed to here, has been launched to raise to raise £120,000 to help Shaun walk down the aisle and marry Charlotte next summer.
There is more information about the East Anglian Air Ambulance, which is a charity, here.