Morecambe manager goes above and beyond for fan who fell ill at club dinner

There is plenty of cynicism in football these days, and it's often easy and even reasonable to suspect that fans are the last thing on the minds of clubs.

While this appears to be true more often than not, a recent story out of Morecambe has shown that there might be a little bit of heart left in the game. The club, which finished 18th in League Two last season, held its annual gala dinner on Saturday night, with club staff and supporters in attendance. According to a post on a fan forum, one guest and longtime supporter of the club was taken ill during the proceedings and taken to hospital. However, rather simply call an ambulance and wish the man well, Morecambe manager Jim Bentley reportedly insisted on travelling with the fan and his wife. After accompanying them to the hospital, he then remained with the couple until 4am, when the fan was discharged. The lovely gesture has further endeared Bentley to The Shrimps' supporters, and comes seven months after the former player laid on a free pie and pint to fans who had raised £1,000 to pay for a fine he had received. It's the sort of story that may not make it onto the back pages, but in an age when fans are becoming increasingly alienated by the machine that is modern football, it shows that at least some people in the game are doing things the right way.