Never in doubt, eh Neil?

STOKE CITY’S survival in the Championship relegation dogfight was just ‘Marvellous’ news for Potters fanatic Neil Baldwin.

And it comes at a time when the BAFTA-winning film about how former manager Lou Macari made Baldwin, who has learning difficulties, his kitman is being re-run by the BBC during this month.

The last thing on current boss Michael O’Neill’s mind as he conjured up a rescue act for a club rooted at the foot of the table when he took over in November was to have someone sitting alongside him in the dugout dressed as a chicken.

But that’s what happened to Macari for one game when Baldwin thought the Stoke players needed cheering up.

Former Manchester United star Macari said: “The lockdown didn’t affect him one bit because he told me he was able to watch ‘Marvellous’ whenever he wanted to. He says he has now seen it 285 times!”

Moved by his affection for the club Macari invited Baldwin, who had left home at the age of 16 to become a circus clown, to look after the kit and he quickly won over the players with his sense of fun. In addition to his chicken impersonation he also dressed up for one game as a Ninja Turtle.

Another time the players came back from training to find their eccentric kitman wearing all their underwear.

It was an atmosphere that helped Macari lift

Stoke out of football’s third tier in the early nineties.

The heart-warming story was later made into a film shown again on BBC TV over the past few weeks.

“You won’t be surprised to hear that Neil was always confident Stoke would stay up,” said Macari.

“Nothing gets him down. He is always happy.”