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Former Pompey striker Ray Crawford has made his playing comeback – at the age of 86.

The evergreen ex-England man prides himself on his fitness and pulled on the royal blue shirt once more at Baffins Milton Rovers on Sunday.

He had volunteered his services for the Pompey Charity Squad, raising funds in memory of the late Mark Graham to benefit QA Hospital’s oncology ward.

Crawford took the kick-off, playing the ball back to team-mate Lee Bradbury, before leaving the pitch to warm applause from a crowd of around 400 and taking a seat in the dug-out.

And with £4,000 raised from the afternoon, the Ipswich legend was delighted he could play a small part.

Crawford, from Portchester, told The News: ‘They wanted me to play a bit longer, but I’m 86 now!

‘A few years ago I appeared in a charity game for 10 minutes and was making runs, but not getting a pass. I said to them “Do you not like me!”.

‘I must admit, I’ve had one knee done and the other is playing me up, but I’m pretty fit for my age.

At the age of 86, Ray Crawford was involved in Sunday's charity football match between Pompey Charity Squad and MGS Vets at the PMC Stadium. Picture: Simon Hill

‘I try to do as much as I can, cleaning the windows, doing errands for my children, going shopping, anything which needs to be done.

‘The council are meant to cut the grass in front of our house, but I do it instead, just to keep me active. They never have to worry about our house on their rounds.

‘I hardly use the car either, I try to work most places and, if I need to, catch a bus. I’ve got a bus pass now, believe it or not!’

Crawford netted 10 goals in 20 matches for boyhood club Pompey, even playing on the day of his wedding in April 1958.

Ray Crawford made 20 appearances for Pompey before going on to represent England twice and become Ipswich's all-time record scorer. Picture : Habibur Rahman

However, boss Freddie Cox ended his Blues career by selling him to Ipswich in September 1958 – where he became their all-time top scorer with 218 goals in 354 appearances.

The prolific striker also turned out for Wolves, West Brom, Charlton and Colchester, while notched once in two England outings.

On Sunday, he joined fellow former Pompey players Bradbury, Chris Burns, Rowan Vine and David Birmingham at the PMC Stadium, with Paul Walsh and Alan Knight lending support from the sidelines.

It was in aid of Mark Graham, who worked in security for Portsmouth City Council at the Southsea Show and other music events, as well as being a friend of Baffins Milton Rovers.

A popular and well-known figure, he passed away last year with cancer, prompting Pompey Charity Squad’s manager and organiser Tony Male to help stage the game.

Pompey ran out 10-1 winners over MGS Vets, with Bradbury, Vine, Birmingham and Burns among the scorers.

Popular former Portsmouth, Ipswich, Wolves and England striker makes playing comeback - at the age of 86