Creggan’s big hearted James McClean helps out Derry’s Oxford Bulls team. PIX BY KEVIN MORRISON
HE is known in Derry for his kindness and generosity to those less off than himself.
James McClean wore the No5 Republic of Ireland shirt in his country’s World Cup qualifier clash with Wales last Friday night at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
And afterwards James said he would give the shirt to the family of the late Derry City captain Ryan McBride who died suddenly at his him.
Now the Creggan lad has once again stepped up to the plate, this time surprising a team of children with Down’s syndrome following a social media appeal.
Derry’s Oxford Bulls was formed in October 2015 but have struggled to find another team to play against.
A plea was put out on social media several weeks ago to try to find them some competitors.
The team’s manager then received a message from West Brom star McClean, which he thought was a “wind-up”.
“Out of the blue I get a message from the man himself, James McClean, on Facebook,” Kevin Morrison said.
“To be honest I thought it was one of those fake accounts, that somebody was taking the hand out of me.
“He said: ‘I’m playing a match on Tuesday night, I’ll be back in Derry at lunchtime on Wednesday – how does that sound?'”
Football strips and runners at the ready, it was still a surprise for Kevin Morrison’s son when one of his idols joined them at the city’s indoor football centre – and brought a few mates to make up a team.
West Brom forward McClean had featured in the Republic’s friendly defeat by Iceland just 24 hours earlier.
Adam is a big fan of the Ireland forward“My wee boy, Adam, would be a big fan of his. James walked in and Adam was standing at the edge of the pitch,” Mr Morrison said.
“He pointed at him, then he pointed again and then the jaw opened. He’s was kind of star-struck for the rest of the game.
“I think it was a fantastic day, we’re going to have some great memories to take away from it.”
All the young footballers have a passion for the sport and the team has been set up with the help of the Foyle Down’s Syndrome Trust.
It provides a wide range of activities for young people and adults with the condition
Despite McClean’s big match experience, Mr Morrison said that his young side gave the forward a good run for his money.
“He [McLean] had a fantastic attitude and they loved him for it,” he said.
“The lads had a ball and James was an absolute gentleman, we couldn’t believe our luck.”
The team had initially tried to find a squad with similar abilities, but with no success.
After this week, the Bulls are now being offered potential tournaments against the likes of Manchester City, Everton and Liverpool.
Oxford Bulls star Keegan enjoyed the surprise match“You have no idea the offers we’ve had, it’s been crazy,” Mr Morrison said.
“My phone is nearly melting. I’ve had hundreds of messages from mainstream football clubs right across the island, right over to England.
“[Northern Ireland winger] Paddy McCourt came down to help in training on Sunday as well, so it has been an amazing week and the boys have really responded to it.
“They’ve taken to it like ducks to water and I think we could have serious footballers on our hands before long,” he added.
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