Marvin Morgan aiming to bring charity fundraiser to Shrewsbury Town

Morgan, creator and founder of the clothing brand which he launched while playing in Shrewsbury, hopes to bring the charity match to Montgomery Waters Meadow in the summer after restrictions ease.

The former striker was a big hit with Salop fans as Graham Turner’s men reached the third tier and remains a firm favourite, regularly engaging with supporters via social media.

And he is determined to launch a charity fixture after the end of lockdown restrictions on June 21, which could also possibly provide a tester for supporters’ return to the Meadow.

Morgan last month opened Fresh Ego Kid’s first store – the brand he kick-started while living with team-mate Joe Jacobson at Salop – in central London. The base doubles up as the successful clothing business’s office and hub, having moved from their previous Stanmore HQ.

Fresh Ego Kid also has a charity football team – Fresh Ego FC. Their first fixture, against a Youtube side, was screened by Sky Sports just prior to the pandemic and those involved include boxing megastar Anthony Joshua, as well as Albion loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles and ex-Manchester United star Ravel Morrison, among others. They raised £3,000 for Mind charity.

Morgan has decided to look to hold the fixture in Shrewsbury, the location where his company was brought to life, in association with Turner’s much-loved side who brought third tier football back to the club.

The big forward, 38, will reach out to the entirety of the class of 2011/12, including the likes of Town favourites Jacobson, Jermaine Grandison, Jon Taylor, Connor Goldson, Mark Wright and James Collins, to be involved.

Welwyn Garden City-based Morgan has conducted initial talks with the club to bring the fundraiser to the Meadow, which the club have supported. Morgan retains a strong affinity with Town, including chairman Roland Wycherley and the board. He last visited the club in late 2019.

He hopes a summer charity match could help bring good numbers through the turnstiles. The fixture would raise funds for mental health charity Mind, as well as Fresh Ego Kid’s other charity partners.

Morgan’s work with charities is backed by Marvin Sordell, who recently retired due to mental health struggles, and fellow former pro Dean Morgan, and Rak Su popstar Miles Stephenson.

Morgan told the Shropshire Star: “We’re about to launch a sponsorship deal with Fresh Ego FC. We only played one game, it hit Sky Sports News, playing another Youtube team, it was live and then we hit Covid.

“We’ve played matches internally. And the time is now, we’re coming out of lockdown.

“I thought why not a game against Shrewsbury? The promotion team, some Shrewsbury legends, raise some money and donate to charity.

“The connection with the brand and myself to the club, it makes sense. I like to think I was a fans’ favourite of that promotion season. All I’m getting now is messages ‘is the game going ahead?’ ‘when’s the game?’

“Now it’s figuring out the details with the club to work towards a date for the game.”

Morgan added: “It’s about what can we do? I’d love to have AJ to play but his big fight is coming up.

“I’ve got a feeling the club will want to do it, I can’t see why not. I’ll have every media outlet and paper there, and it can test the whole coming out of lockdown with fans.

“I’ve got a good relationship with the chairman, he made sure he was at the stadium when I came up to see everyone. I hope there would be a lot of fans there.

“I always mention Shrewsbury! It’s where I started.

“The idea happened at Aldershot, but It wasn’t until I moved to Shrewsbury that I understood it made sense to do it there. I was on my own.

“I wasn’t living with my partner, I was in a flat with Joe Jacobson for a while until he got his place.

“Everything started at Shrewsbury. It’s a strong affiliation and connection.

“If you’re a fan of the club, and somebody said Marvin Morgan, they’d say Fresh Ego Kid. Everything was done that season we got promoted, that always helps with remembering players!

“It ended quite sour at the club. But I really wanted to say, I didn’t want to leave, with what was said, do I regret some things? Yes I do.

“The connection with the club and fans is great, I speak to a lot of ex-players and fans, I spoke to Jermaine and he was like ‘yes, I’m playing’.

“Wrighty (Mark Wright) said the same. Richo’s (Matt Richards) Achilles is done but he’s playing. It’s about getting the old gang back. Joe (Jacobson) wants to play.”

Scenes after Turner’s men celebrated promotion as runners-up from League Two via an unbeaten home campaign remain some of the more memorable since Town moved to Oteley Road in 2007.

Fresh Ego Kid is now one of the leading clothing brands with sporting influences including Joshua and footballers Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Raheem Sterling, Dele Alli and Romelu Lukaku. It is working with the PFA to launch a new major sponsorship.

The striker, who left Shrewsbury for Plymouth in 2013 before playing in non-league, has revealed how he was mocked and laughed at by former Aldershot colleagues when suggesting his vision. But Morgan’s career has gone from the Football League to London Fashion Week.

Morgan, who scored 18 goals in two seasons between 2011 and 2013 with Salop., added: “We had an unbelievable squad. My opinion was we shouldn’t have let anyone go. But that’s football.

“You can see what Connor’s doing now at Rangers, Jon Taylor, James Collins, Tom Bradshaw, Joe Jacobson, great ability and potential.”

On launching a FEK store, he said: “It’s a store, but also not a store. It’s my office as well, so people can come in and social, when possible, that’s the vibe, it’s like a hub.

“People were telling me I’m stupid when I announced I had a shop, asking what was I doing, but it’s my office with a shop front.

“We’ve done very, very well. A lot is friends, people of the brand, but our customers are all around the UK. We don’t ship to Europe now because of Brexit, but our customers are up and down the UK.”