A LEIGH man received a shot of good luck when he scooped £50,000 on Littlewoods' Spot the Ball.

Gerald Tighe, 42, who suffers with heart problems and was diagnosed with diabetes in March, a month before finding out he'd hit the jackpot on the famous footballing competition.

The former forklift truck driver has vowed to splash out and take his sister Sheila, who is also his next door neighbour, on the holiday of a lifetime to Florida.

Gerald, whose previous biggest win was a two pound voucher, needn't have worried about missing out on his big win as he lives just across the road from the Littlewoods' collections office.

Gerald, who's lived in Leigh all of his life, said: "I'm absolutely flabbergasted, it still hasn't really sunk in. This win means so much to me. When the collector came to my door I thought he was a man from the council who'd come to fix my fence.

"I've not been in the best health over the last couple of years so this win is absolutely amazing, it's a real life changing experience, life can now really begin at 42 not 40."

Dave Raywood, marketing manager for Littlewoods, said: "We are absolutely delighted that someone as deserving as Mr Tighe has scooped the jackpot on Spot the Ball. He's obviously had a tough time and hopefully this win will really make a difference to his life. Everyone here at Littlewoods wishes him all the very best for the future."

"Spot the Ball" is a pools competition where a top prize of £150,000 can be won. It is the largest game of its kind in the UK and may be played by coupon, either by post or via the long established network of Littlewoods' door-to-door collector service.