FRANNY Benali ticked off five clubs over the weekend as he continued his 1,000-mile run to all 20 Premier League grounds.

The Saints legend ran via the north-west’s Big Four, arriving at Everton before the short journey to Liverpool, then on to Manchester United on Saturday evening before stopping off at Manchester City this morning.

Benali ensured he covered around 90 miles over the weekend by running to Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium this afternoon.

He was joined by Matt Le Tissier’s wife Angela for part of the journey and will continue his epic challenge by heading south-east across the east midlands tomorrow, before arriving at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium tomorrow.

By then he will be halfway to completing his challenge.

Visiting Goodison Park, Anfield, Old Trafford, the Etihad and then the Britannia Stadium the day after Mark Hughes - Benali’s former Saints teammate – had masterminded Stoke’s shock win at Manchester City - was a boost for the 45 year-old.

“It was great to see the stadiums and good to get a few clubs out of the way, they couldn’t have been more welcoming,” he said.

“But there’s still a lot of mileage to go. The moment I stopped at the Britannia Stadium there was a lot of pain in my right knee but hopefully I’ll get that under control with an ice bath and some treatment.”

You can follow Franny’s progress on Twitter @Benalisbigrun and at jellyfishlivewire.co.uk/benalis-big-run/map.

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