Former Charlton and Millwall goalkeeper Nicky Johns has announced 2016 as the best year ever for his Know the Score campaign, which sees English professional football unite to raise awareness of bowel cancer.

The 59-year-old, who made over 280 appearances for the Addicks in the 1980s and played 50 games for Millwall, founded Know the Score in 2011 in memory of his son, Stephen, who died of the disease at the age of 26.

The 2016 campaign saw 79 of the 92 Premier and Football League clubs take part in activities to highlight the signs and symptoms of the disease, which takes three lives every 90 minutes in the UK.

Know the Score made an appearance at 41 fixtures in English football’s top four divisions last season.

Activities at matches included both sets of players, match officials, ball boys, cheerleaders and mascots warming up in official campaign t-shirts, and the distribution of badges to fans before kick-off.

Over 54,000 badges featuring the bowel cancer symbol, the ‘Star of Hope’, were distributed to support Know the Score.

Nicky said: “The campaign received a tremendous level of support from our high-profile ambassadors, players, managers, officials, fans and the media, for which we are grateful.

“Our messages to fight bowel cancer have been spread far and wide, and made a huge impact. We are looking forward to a similar campaign this coming season.”

Know the Score ambassadors last season were Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew, Watford striker Troy Deeney, England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley and former West Brom defender Brendon Batson OBE.

The dates for the seventh Know the Score campaign are April 1 to 8, 2017.

For more information visit www.knowthescore.org.uk.