Martin O’Neill sends 10-word message to Cambridgeshire train stabbing hero

Stephen Crean, 61, reportedly managed to grab the knifeman’s blade as he protected children on board

Northern Ireland football legend Martin O’Neill is among several high-profile figures to have donated to a heroic football fan who confronted the Cambridgeshire train knifeman.

More than £33,000 has been raised for self-confessed “normal guy” Stephen Crean in just over 24 hours after it emerged he approached the attacker during Saturday’s (November 1) horrific mass stabbing, which left 11 people requiring hospital treatment.

The 61-year-old Londoner – whose parents are Irish – boarded the LNER service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross in Grantham, Lincolnshire, to return to the capital after watching his team, Nottingham Forest, draw 2-2 with Manchester United at the City Ground.

He would eventually find himself face-to-face with the attacker and even managed to grab the knifeman’s blade as he protected the children on board. The assailant retaliated by slicing the top of Mr Crean’s head, leaving him with three or four stitches on his lower back and buttocks.

Mr Crean then fled the attacker, finding an empty toilet on the train as he tried to stop his heavy bleeding. He remained in the cubicle until the train was quickly diverted to Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire for an emergency stop.

Donations to the fundraiser, set up by “a group of Forest fans who know Steve and would like to provide him with some financial support whilst he recovers from his injuries”, have come from notable figures such as boxing promoter Frank Warren and film producer and actor Jonny Owen, who is on the board at Forest and a personal friend of Mr Crean.

NI’s 1982 World Cup captain O’Neill, a double European Cup winner with Forest, also contributed, commenting: “Good luck Stephen – hope you make a full recovery COYRs!”

O’Neill, who scored 48 goals in 285 league appearances for Forest, was recently named interim boss at Celtic, where he enjoyed great success in the early-2000s, following the departure of fellow Ulsterman Brendan Rodgers.

Following his heroic actions during Saturday’s devastating attack, Mr Crean has received widespread praise across the UK. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has even offered to cover the costs of medical care needed by fans affected by the incident.