Drink & drugs football star starts church

A FORMER Crystal Palace and Watford footballer whose career was hit by drink and drugs has opened his own church.

Striker Bruce Dyer, 44, became a born- again Christian in the late 1990s after a “divine encounter”.

He said: “I hit a really, really dark patch in life – I had an issue with drink, an issue with drugs.

“I began a 20- year journey that brought supernatural transformation to my life through the gospels of Jesus Christ.”

Bruce, who retired in 2008, launched Love Life UK Church as a small group in 2018. It now has its own building in Barnsley, South Yorks.

He said: “We worship, preach, pray and have a desire to have a positive impact in the community.”