IN a little under 84 hours, Swindon Town fan Marc Harris and three comrades successfully visited all 92 Football League grounds, raising nearly £3,000 in the process.

Marc, 43, of Calstock Road, travelled with three friends he made as a travelling England supporter, and was raising money for Helen & Douglas House, a children’s hospice in Oxford.

Cris Bowden, 34, an Oxford United fan, Andy Price, 47, a Leicester City fan, and Steve Wells, 54, a Plymouth Argyle fan, began their quest in Leicester at 10.20pm last Tuesday, shortly after Leicester City’s match with Brighton & Hove Albion.

The County Ground was ticked off at an early stage with a dawn visit on Thursday at 6.30am.

By 10.20am on Saturday, the quartet had pulled up at Home Park, Plymouth Argyle’s stadium on the south coast, with an official finish time of 83 hours and 50 minutes.

The thousands of miles driven and a grand total of seven hours’ sleep had pulled in £2,815.50 at the time the Adver went to press, some distance short of their £5,000 target.

There is still a charity auction night to come on April 25 in Basingstoke, when Matt Le Tissier will lead as master of ceremonies, a night they are hoping to raise thousands of pounds on after collecting a range of prizes from the clubs they visited.

Marc described the journey as one of the most mentally and physically challenging events he has ever undertaken.

Marc works alongside former Swindon Town players Giuliano Grazioli and Alan Young, while a friend of his is a cousin of Chris Kamara – all contacts which have proved vital in securing prizes such as footballs, signed shirts, corporate tickets and stadium tours.

The effort was put in in aid of a child friend Cris came to know through a next-door neighbour at his Hungerford home.

“Cris got quite close with the family he lived next to and he visited their child at the hospice and I think emotion took hold of him,” said Marc.

“He has always wanted to go around the football grounds of the country, but never had a real reason to do it until now.

“I try to do something for charity every year. “I have gone without alcohol for a year and done eight hours of non-stop fitness in the past for charity.”

If you would like to make a donation, visit justgiving.com/Cris-Bowden.