A FORMER footballer from Clayton-le-Moors was one of the first people in country to benefit from a new health scheme which allows patients to beat long waiting lists.

Former Accrington Stanley player Russell Cuddihy was offered the chance to have his double heart bypass at a hospital in Glasgow after he had waited ten months to get it done at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

A government scheme now allows people who have been waiting longer than six months to have their surgery somewhere else in the country where the waiting list is shorter.

Last week, Russell went to the Labour Party conference in Blackpool to meet health secretary Alan Milburn who wanted to ask him about his experiences.

Russell, 63, said: "I'd been waiting about nine or ten months and was starting to feel a bit ropey. The hospital phoned me and asked would I like to go to Glasgow for the operation.

"It was absolutely brilliant and I'd recommend it to anybody. The staff were amazing."

Russell, who used to play Lancashire League Cricket for Accrington and East Lancs, is getting stronger by the day. He hopes soon to return to his part-time job as youth development officer for Lancashire County Cricket Club.

He was asked to go over to Blackpool last week to meet Mr Milburn. He said: "I went over with my wife Moira. We sat down and had a good chat."

Russell, of Lodgeside, used to play for Accrington Stanley and was there at the time they went out of the Football League in 1962. He started his career with Blackpool.