Boy who said 'Accrington Stanley, who are they?' in television advert has been jailed for murder

The man who became famous for the famous 'Accrington Stanley, who are they?' advert from the 1980s has been jailed for murder.

Kevin Spaine was never physically seen during the Milk Marketing Board advert, but his delivery of the now-famous line is etched in British folklore.

The advert, which you can watch in the player below, involves a young lad named Carl Rice coming in from playing a game of football with his mates.

Rice goes to take a swig of the drink as it's what he claims ex-Liverpool forward Ian Rush drinks. Everyone wanted to be Ian Rush back then.

After Spaine expresses his disgust at the milk, Rice replies: "It's what Ian Rush drinks! And he says if I didn't drink lots of milk, when I grow up I'll only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley."

Spaine then responds with a hint of shock in his voice, "Accrington Stanley, who are they!?"

The advert ends with Rice uttering, "Exactly," implying that nobody has any idea who the current League One outfit are.

Rice has since gone on to star in several popular British shows, including Brookside and Brassic. Spaine's life has taken a completely different turn.

Per the Liverpool Echo, he spiralled into a life of crime and drugs, making 40 appearances in court for nearly 100 different offences.

Merseyside Police)

Since 1999, he's faced a number of convictions. Those include dealing heroin and crack cocaine and assault with intent to rob.

On Tuesday, Spaine was found guilty of the murder of Leroy Venner, a man beaten to death at a property on Belmont Drive in Anfield back in July.

The 43-year-old received a life sentence on Wednesday with a minimum of 18 years. John Harrison KC, defending, described Spaine's background before entering a life of crime. He said Spaine was previously a 'very promising young footballer'.

Harrison explained: "This defendant’s life has been ruined and dominated by the abuse of illegal drugs. He has a very long history of criminal offending.

Merseyside Police)

"We know he’s been in this situation for 20 years or more, but he wasn’t always like that. Mr. Spaine was a very promising young footballer, and he appeared in a very famous advertisement on the television - an advert for milk involving Accrington Stanley.

"He played a part in that advertisement. At an age of 10 or 12, or however old he was, he had a promising future.

“Shortly afterwards, he sinks into a life of criminality. Twenty years later, he is convicted of murder.

“It’s not an unfamiliar spiral to the court, but it is a tragic one. Of course, he respects the jury’s verdict."

Topics: Football

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a social editor for SPORTbible after moving from the writing team. Nearly scored past Stormzy at Old Trafford once.

@DanMarland_