BRADFORD City's much-loved former captain Stephen Darby gave ex-Bantam Stephen Warnock a much deserved greeting at the finish line of his virtual London Marathon effort yesterday.

The touching moment was captured on video, which Warnock shared on Twitter, at the end of his and fellow ex-pro Karen Carney's 26.2 mile effort for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.

Warnock, who appeared for City in two loan spells in 2002 and 2018, took part in the Virtual London Marathon with England great Karen Carney MBE, to raise money for Darby's charity, founded after his retirement from football aged 29 following his diagnosis with motor neurone disease.

Finishing the run last night, 'Darbs', as he is affectionately known, greeted Warnock at the finish line to spur him on through the final metres.

Warnock, who is now a TV pundit as well as a patron of the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, said: "After 26.2 miles of the London Marathon to be greeted at the line by Stephen Darby, [we] couldn’t embrace but it meant everything to see him.

"An inspiration and knowing Chris Rimmer was there in spirit as well. We did it Karen Carney.

To everyone who has donated, Karen and myself can’t thank you enough."

Carney, who earned 144 caps for England, finished the marathon in three hours 26 minutes, while Warnock crossed the line in four hours 17 minutes.

Stephen Darby starred for Bradford City in their historic run to the League Cup final in 2012/13, knocking out Premier League opposition Wigan Athletic, Arsenal and Aston Villa on their way to Wembley. He also captained City for two seasons.

In September 2018, Darby, who is married to England captain Steph Houghton, was forced to retire from football after being diagnosed with MND aged 29.