Former Stoke City forward Graham Shaw has been selected as a councillor at the Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council - representing Reform.
Reform enjoyed resounding success in the week’s local elections, with Nigel Farage branding the results a monumental victory and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer fighting for his job.
And one person who won a seat was Shaw, 58, who made over 300 appearances in the Football League for the likes of Stoke, Preston North End and Rochdale.
He started out his career at Stoke as a teenager before going on to sign a professional deal and play more than 100 times for the club.
The former striker would leave in 1989, going on to sign for Preston. He returned to Stoke three years later, though.
After a brief spell on loan with Plymouth, he would join Rochdale in 1995, before retiring from playing a year later.
It’s widely reported that he considered taking up coaching in his retirement, but instead went to Staffordshire University to study criminal law.
Helped out by the PFA's education fund, he became a fully qualified criminal lawyer and went to work in Stoke, and then Newcastle, as a commercial sports solicitor.
As a party, Reform has gained more than 1,400 seats, compared to just two four years ago.
Shaw told the BBC that he felt he has convinced local residents to 'give him a chance' after discussions, and he says he is looking to restore pride in the town.