Spencer McCall

At this time, when we're looking forward to our Middlesex Senior Cup Final, we've had a sharp reminder of life's fortunes when we recall our side from 2015, when we last won the trophy.

Spencer McCall was a classy midfielder in that side, signed from Bishop’s Stortford, initially on loan but latterly as a Harrow Borough player ‘proper’. Spencer has since gone on to play for Hendon, Wingate & Finchley and Hemel Hempstead Town. But a few weeks ago, just after celebrating his 24th birthday, it was discovered that what had previously been diagnosed as a stress fracture in his leg was in fact a rare form of bone cancer, Ewing’s Sarcoma. Indeed, as recently as last October, Spencer had been told by specialists that his injury was a stress fracture, not a tumour which had been mentioned as a possibility when he went for an MRI scan.

Ewing's Sarcoma is a very rare type of bone cancer. Its cause is unknown. Bone cancer is rare in itself, with only around 600 people in the UK being diagnosed every year. Spencer began chemotherapy at University College Hospital on 20th February in the hope that it will shrink the tumour. If so, this will then be followed by surgery to remove the tumour, and then further chemotherapy.

Receiving the original news he’d be out for the rest of the season with a stress fracture was devastating enough, but nothing could have prepared Spencer for the news he has bone cancer, and will probably never be able again to play the game he so loves.

It’s ironic that at the Poole Town game last month we held a bucket collection for Cancer Research UK. Spencer’s family are now leading fundraising efforts both to assure Spencer of financial support but also to raise funding and awareness for the same charity. Fundraising events will include a walk from Watford FC to Hemel Hempstead FC prior to Hemel’s game on Easter Monday, starting off at 10 a.m., and all football followers are invited to take part in some, or all, of it. A fundraising page can be found at

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/spencermccall

Steve Baker has already been in touch with Spencer and has passed on the thoughts and good wishes of everyone at Harrow Borough. Spencer, who made 46 league appearances (8 goals) and 11 cup appearances (1 goal) for us between 2015 and 2016.

Updated 22:45 - 29 Aug 2019 by Harrow Borough