FORMER academy defender Alex McQuade has done plenty of globetrotting since leaving Wanderers – but now has a worthy purpose much closer to home.

Part of a talented group of youngsters who came through at the end of the Whites' Premier League run, McQuade featured briefly for Shrewsbury Town on his exit from Bolton before plying his trade in Australia alongside former team-mates Chris Lester, Ben Hampson and Lewis Fielding.

Now 25, he remains in the game at semi-professional level, captaining Osset Albion last season before their merger with EvoStik North rivals Ossett Town.

This weekend he takes on a different challenge, running the Manchester 10k in aid of the mental health charity, Mind.

“My girlfriend Sophie’s mum has been in and out of hospital with mental health problems and the family has received so much support, I thought it would be a way of saying thanks,” he told The Bolton News. “Sophie has taken on a lot, looks after her little brother and does a lot of the motherly stuff, and it is really hard on the family at times – but Mind are great, and they provide so much assistance.

“I hadn’t really thought about the impact this kind of thing has on families until I saw it up close and dealt with the situation, so anything I can do to help, I will.”

McQuade is looking to raise £1,000 and is already closing in on his target as he approaches Sunday’s race.

Signed on a one-year pro deal by Owen Coyle in 2012, the Manchester-born defender never quite made it to the first team ranks and now works in IT recruitment.

He did, however, play plenty of second-string football for Wanderers, including a game at Hyde United against Manchester City reserves in which he had to mark Argentine ace Carlos Tevez.

"Getting close to him wasn't easy," he said. "And nor was trying to kick him into Row Z."

McQuade has also been delighted to see the progress made by some of his contemporaries from the Euxton days.

“Josh Vela has done really well and Aaron Mooy is smashing it in the Premier League,” he said. “Joe Riley will be playing at Wembley next weekend with Shrewsbury, and the likes of Jack Sampson and Adam Blakeman are still in the game as well.

“I wish them all well. If that team had come along a bit later it might have been different but it’s all said with hindsight. I’m still enjoying playing football and it’s a different life now.”

Life in the Northern Premier is quite different to the career move McQuade took in 2016 when he emigrated to Victoria, Australia.

“I played out there for Banyule City,” he said. “It was a third division club but I’d put a lot into football coming through the system at Bolton and I just thought ‘why not’ and I really loved it over there. A few of the other lads came out there too – I was like a trail-blazer – but we had a lot of fun.”

McQuade’s fundraising page can be found at justgiving.com/fundraising/alexandsoph.