Stuart Pearce’s sensational return to competitive football is only a few days away, as the 53 year-old has been confirmed by manager Nick Dawe to play part of Longford AFC’s next home game against Smiths Athletic on Saturday.

Pearce, who signed for the club last Thursday, has been drafted in by Direct Line to help ‘fix’ the confidence and fortunes of Longford AFC, dubbed ‘the worst team in the country’, as part of the insurer’s #directfix campaign.

Longford AFC manager Nick Dawe said: “I am pleased to confirm that Stuart Pearce will make his debut this Saturday in our home game against Smiths Athletic. We gave Stuart a week off to work on his fitness and so; we are ready to throw him into the squad for Saturday’s game.

“Thanks to Direct Line for making this possible, the whole club has seen an uplift in confidence following the news of Stuart’s arrival last week. We have fielded calls from all over the world; players want to turn out for us and fans want to come along to watch us play. It has been a tremendous whirlwind for this small grassroots club.”

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division Two side Longford AFC are rooted to the bottom of the league having secured no points all season and conceding an average of just fewer than ten goals per game. Their record currently stands at; played: 20, lost: 20, goals for: four; goal difference: minus 187.

Pearce who has won 78 caps for England in a career spanning over 20 years and is one goal away from a milestone 100th career goal, is set to make a remarkable comeback after insurer Direct Line arranged for the left-back to play for the club, for one game only, to fix the team’s confidence.

Wendy Pearson, Head of Marketing at Direct Line added: “It has been heart-warming to see the public’s outpouring of support for Longford AFC since we helped to get Stuart Pearce to join the club as part of our #directfix campaign. We are looking forward to seeing how Stuart will help to transform both the dressing room atmosphere and confidence on Saturday.”

To mark this once in a lifetime signing, Longford AFC will play in a new home kit, which has been provided by Direct Line as part of its #directfix initiative.