FOOTBALL supporters applauded a war hero who lost his legs in Afghanistan as he finished a charity trek with U’s supporters.

Drinkers at The Priory pub, near Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium, gave Jack Cummings a standing ovation as he and 14 others arrived at the end of the fundraising effort.

The 14 walked 15 miles from Steventon to the stadium ahead of Saturday’s game against Chesterfield and were joined by Mr Cummings, who uses a wheelchair, for the last mile-and-a-half.

The sapper and avid U’s fan lost both his legs and suffered serious hand injuries when an improvised explosive device (IED) blew up on August 14 last year.

The effort raised about £2,000 for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), which supported Mr Cummings.

The organisation helped find accommodation for Mr Cummings’, mother, father and sister during his five-month recovery in hospital in Birmingham.

Mr Cummings said: “It’s an absolutely brilliant charity. If we needed anything, they would help. It was really, really good.

“This is the start of giving back.”

The walk was organised by Steventon resident Jamie Brown, 23, who attended St Birinus School, Didcot, with Mr Cummings.

It comes after Mr Cummings was the guest of honour at United’s Military Day on February 26 at the game against Hereford United.

Mr Brown said: “I’m really pleased with everyone’s efforts in raising the money for it. We all go to Steventon Sports And Social Club and we wanted to do something for him.”

After the walk, the fundraisers watched Oxford United draw 0-0 with top-of-the-league Chesterfield.

Patrick Lawrence, fundraising organiser at SSAFA, said: “We depend upon the generosity of the Oxford community. We would be able to help fewer and fewer people without the help.”

Mr Cummings, a sapper with the 101 Engineer Regiment, was part of a bomb disposal team searching for IEDs.

He said: “I found the thing but unfortunately, as I was walking away from it, it triggered.

“I was knocked unconscious. When I came to I didn’t really know what had happened.”

He was in a coma for a month.

Since February he has been learning to walk again using small prosthetic legs and hopes to be walking on full-length prosthetics within three years.

He said: “That is the end goal, to walk again. It will take a while, but we’re getting there.

“It’s happened, unfortunately, but there’s nothing I can do to change it and I’ve just got to look to the future.”

The 125-year-old SSAFA charity finds homes for the families of injured personnel and helps with mental and physical problems including post-traumatic stress disorder.