Kevin Ellison has one Premier League appearance to his name, but it is one he will never forget. Sent on as an 84th-minute substitute for Leicester City at Old Trafford in 2001, the then 22-year-old forward found himself sharing a pitch with Roy Keane, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Paul Scholes. "I had four touches and I fouled Paul Scholes," Ellison recalls of the 2-0 defeat, a game that remains his only taste of English football's top flight.
A quarter of a century on, Ellison is still playing, now for non-league Vauxhall Motors in the Northern Premier League Division One West, the eighth tier of English football. At 47, he is set to become one of the oldest players ever to appear in the FA Cup when Vauxhall Motors face Yorkshire side Thackley in Saturday's preliminary round.
Ellison's journey has taken him through all eight divisions of English football and 18 different clubs across a career spanning 29 years, amassing more than 1,000 appearances along the way. Raised in Anfield, just a short walk from Liverpool's stadium, he was released by his boyhood club at 15 despite coming through their academy alongside Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard. "It just said: 'thanks for all your effort over the last seven years and good luck in the future,'" he remembers of the release letter. "It was heartbreaking."
Rather than end his ambitions, the setback fuelled Ellison's determination. He worked his way up through Sunday League football, Southport, Chorley and Conwy United before impressive scoring form at Altrincham – while working full-time on a building site and delivering furniture – earned him a £50,000 move to Leicester City in 2001. It was there that he made his solitary Premier League appearance, though the financial rewards were modest by modern standards, with his agent's attempt to negotiate a higher wage rebuffed by the club.
Behind the career highlights – promotion to the Championship with Hull City in 2005, Wembley play-off final appearances with Rotherham United in 2010 and Newport County in 2021, and 124 league goals including 81 for Morecambe – Ellison has battled serious mental health struggles. Following the collapse of Chester City after their 2009 relegation from the Football League, combined with personal loss and the constant uncertainty of short-term contracts, Ellison found himself in a deeply dark place.
"The darkest moment was when I was driving on the M6," he says. "I remember it like it was yesterday. My thoughts back then were: 'would people's lives around me be better if I smashed my car into the central reservation at 100mph?' That's how deep it got."
It was only through counselling and confiding in those close to him that Ellison found a way through. "Speaking out to those around me and seeking help is the only way I got through those dark clouds that came over me," he explains. "I'm grateful for what I've been through as it's opened my eyes to a lot of things in life."
He is now candid about urging others to seek support rather than suffer silently. "I had some very dark thoughts through my years of suffering alone when I should have really opened up and spoken out," Ellison says. "I am not ashamed of where I've been and what I've been through. Don't be ashamed. Everyone has problems. Please talk to family and friends. Open up, there are people willing to help and listen."
Away from his day job in a safeguarding role at a Liverpool secondary school, Ellison continues to represent England's veterans set-up, having helped the Three Lions win the Seniors World Cup this summer with a 4-0 final victory over France in Thailand, a tournament he had also won in 2025. Teammates included former internationals Gareth Barry, Lee Hendrie, Barry Hayles and Luke Chambers.
Despite the passing years, Ellison shows no sign of slowing down. "I've still got that fire in my belly and I still get a little bit nervous before games," he says. "I'm still here, playing at 47. I'm grateful for that."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.