Huntingdon train hero receives incredible ovation at Nottingham Forest in first appearance at the City Ground since knife rampage - after club donated £10,000 to him for his bravery

Huntingdon train attack hero Stephen Crean cut an emotional figure as his beloved Nottingham Forest paid tribute to him on Sunday afternoon. 

Crean, 61, was in attendance as Forest beat fellow strugglers Leeds United 3-1 at the City Ground. 

It comes just over a week after he was stabbed seven times while trying to protect other passengers from rampaging knife-wielder Anthony Williams, who has been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder. 

And Forest made sure to show their appreciation for Crean, giving him a standing ovation and showing his picture on the main screen.

He was given a seat in the directors' box and sat not far from club owner Evangelos Marinakis. 

The club had already donated £10,000 to a fundraiser, which has now raised more than £60,000, to give Crean some financial support while he recovers from his injuries.

He was stabbed in his head, back, and hands while his attacker shouted 'Do you want to die?' 

Marinakis has pledged to support any fans who were injured in the attack.

'Everyone at Nottingham Forest is shocked and deeply saddened by what happened,' said Marinakis.

'The courage and selflessness shown by our supporters on that train represents the very best of humanity and the very best of our club's community.

'We will make sure any supporter caught up in this incident receives whatever financial support they require to enable them to access the best possible medical care as they recover.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.'

Recalling the horrific scenes, Mr Crean, who was returning from watching Nottingham Forest draw 2-2 with Manchester United, said he heard the screams of injured passengers and walked through the buffet car to a carriage where he came face to face with the attacker.

Mr Crean said: 'He had a great big oversized kitchen knife – it was as if it was a Japanese sword or something. He came towards me and said to me, "Do you want to die?"'

He said he confronted the attacker to give another passenger time to close the buffet door behind him - allowing others to hide and potentially preventing dozens of injuries.

Mr Crean, who was subsequently locked in with the knifeman, was stabbed in his left hand, three times in his back, once on his bottom and twice in his head before he managed to find an empty toilet to hide in.

He lay on the floor losing blood, and about ten minutes later, opened the door to find armed police pointing guns at him.

'There was big banging and kicking and shouting outside. [Armed police] came on board and I said my name, and they said, "Yeah, Stephen, you can open the door". But even when I opened the door, they had the gun pointing at me to make sure it was me and I hadn't put on a voice,' he recalled.

'They opened the door just for me, it was clever. They didn't open the whole train, otherwise he's going to get off.'

Mr Crean was taken by ambulance to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where he was discharged on Sunday morning last week.

'I got caught on my fingers. He took a swing at this, and a swing at that. I got caught on the head,' he said.

'I was lucky. I got caught on the back a few times. They caught me a few times. The front of me, and my other arm. In the face and everything.'

He added: 'I'm going to need plastic surgery. One finger doesn't look clever. I've had stitches on them all.

'I don't know how long it's going to take.'

Of his decision to fight back, he said: 'Probably not many people would've done it, but then you're leaving people behind you vulnerable.'

He has been described as a hero and said: 'It's lovely that people are saying nice things about me.

'One woman messaged me on Facebook and said: "You probably saved my daughter's life." I never get emotional, but that got to me.

'I'm not brave. There's braver people than me. The train guard, the police, and then the guys that got me off the train.'