Mark Noble has bravely opened up about the double family tragedy he has been playing through for West Ham.
Skipper Noble revealed he has lost both his grandmother Dorothy and grandfather Lenny in the last few weeks but was determined to feature in last week's trip to Manchester United, an unlucky 2-1 defeat, to honour them.
Midfielder Noble was speaking in his programme notes ahead of West Ham's clash against Leicester at the London Stadium today.
The game is the first between the two sides since their 1-1 draw in October, after which Foxes owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four other people were killed in a horrific helicopter crash.
Noble said: 'As I said at the time we were all hurt and saddened by what happened that October evening.
'We heard about the incident just a few minutes after we had ourselves left the stadium in the team coach and the reaction was one of complete shock and silence.
'Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families of those who died, along with everyone associated with Leicester City.
'Football comes way down the pecking order when tragedies like that occur and I must admit it has been a tough few weeks for me and my family too, as I have lost two of my grandparents.
'I lost my grandmother in the week leading up to the Everton game, then I lost my grandfather Lenny on the Friday morning before we played Manchester United.
'I wanted to play for them both at Old Trafford and just get out on the pitch because when you're out there you don't think about anything other than the game itself.
'To give the performance that we did, even though we didn't get any points, was a really nice tribute.'
Noble says he believes a 'new level of respect' has developed between the two clubs following the King Power Stadium tragedy.
Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini added: 'The football world showed its solidarity and togetherness following that devastating accident and everyone at Leicester deserves great respect for the strength and courage they have shown.'