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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Andy McGilvray

Young Motherwell fan 'gob-smacked' by signed ball gift after midweek heartache

Motherwell fan Conner Young was given a brilliant surprise this afternoon when captain Stephen O'Donnell handed him a football that was signed by the Premiership club's squad.

Conner, 10, was sitting with his family in the John Hunter Stand at Fir Park on Wednesday night for the game at home to Hibs when O'Donnell playfully kicked a ball into the stand for him to keep - only for it to be confiscated by a steward as they left the stadium after the 0-0 draw.

His sister Carla, 15, issued a social media appeal to appease her unhappy brother, and it was answered when O'Donnell and club chief executive Alan Burrows paid a visit to the St Aidan's Primary School pupil's house this afternoon.

Dad Barry, 40, from Wishaw, says Conner is known to most of the players as they sit in the front row just around the half-way point of the pitch.

So he was devastated to have the ball taken off of him, and delighted when O'Donnell and club chief executive Alan Burrows turned up with the gift.

Conner with the match ball that O'Donnell had originally gifted to him (Carla Young)

Barry said: "We sit in the front row of the John Hunter stand, right on the half-way line, so my wee boy talks to the players quite a lot and they've got used to him over the years, waving and things.

"Stephen was having a wee play with the ball and kicked it to Conner, and that was kind of the end of it, but it was just coming to the end of the game, we were getting ready to walk out, and the steward said 'you know I'll need to take that back?'

"I said 'but the player gave him it as a gift' and he said 'I don't really care, to be honest, I need to take it back'.

"It was upsetting for Conner - he thinks he's getting something special and the guy ruined it a wee bit.

"My daughter went to Twitter, and Stephen and Alan Burrows have just been at the house. They couldn't have been any nicer, to be honest.

Motherwell and Hibs battled out a 0-0 draw (SNS Group)

"They gave him a signed ball from the full squad, they got that organised in the last couple of days since the game, and he was absolutely delighted.

"We had kept it as a total surprise for him, he was playing football out the back, and when I brought them up the side of the house he was gob-smacked."

Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.

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