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Stoke City nearly killed me

Watching sports can be a stressful business at the best of times... How many times have you heard somebody make a joke and said 'that'll be the death of me' or 'I nearly had a heart attack' watching a football game? Millions of people felt like that watching England's penalties in the World Cup, with the whole country's heart rates going through the roof.

Although for a lot of people in Staffordshire, the Stoke v Tamworth FA Cup game in Januuary 2006 was probably even worse. Stoke scraped through on penalties - but for lifelong Stoke City fan Neil Cherrington from Sandbach - it nearly WAS the death of him…

Hours after watching that match on a cold January evening, Neil found himself rushed to hospital after suffering a heart attack. He survived, and immediately gave up his 40 a day cigarette habit, but found himself on a slow and rocky road to recovery, that tested himself and his family to the limit. During his recovery, Neil rediscovered his love of music, painting, and writing, and as he explains in his Inside Lives story he's come out of the experience a better man.

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