IN the late 1980s, Brendan Ormsby was a genuine Leeds United hero: the club captain who, in 1987, came within a whisker of seeing the Whites returned to the top level of English football after several years in the wilderness.

Despite being a doughty defender, he also scored some scintillating goals: including a towering late header against QPR in the 1987 FA Cup which won the game for Leeds.

Fast-forward almost 30 years and Brendan, now aged 56, lives in Selby.

In 2013, he suffered a stroke which left him paralysed on the right side of his body.

It also left him suffering from aphasia, so he now has difficulty with speech and with reading.

He still has that fighting spirit which took him to the top of English football, however. Eighteen months ago, Brendan and his wife Wendy joined Speakability in York - an organisation run by people with aphasia for people with aphasia.

And now Brendan has lent his support to Lost For Words, a campaign to raise awareness about the speech and other communication difficulties people who have suffered a stroke can have.

Raising awareness is hugely important. Not being able to speak when people expect you to can lead to huge pressure. That’s something Brendan finds very challenging, Wendy says. Countless other aphasia sufferers must do too.

It takes real courage for a sporting hero like Brendan to reveal his frailties in public. But his support for Lost For Words could make a huge difference. People will sit up and take notice - which is just what a campaign to raise awareness needs.

Brendan was a great role model as a Leeds United footballer. And he’s still an inspiring role model today.