A belated Happy Easter to all of you, I hope you all had an egg-cellent bank holiday where you managed to enjoy the sunshine and indulge in too much chocolate!
As far as months go April has been non stop for us at SCF HQ and over the Easter weekend we were privileged to grant our latest Sporting Wish to a very brave young man, Connor.
Connor is from Manchester as was born with a congenital heart condition that has meant a large part of his life has been spent in and out of hospital, undergoing 36 operations
since the age of just 3. Accompanied by mum (Maria) and Charity Co-Founder Junior McDougald, the three of them went to watch Manchester City take on Tottenham Hotspur (one of Junior’s former clubs) in their Premier League fixture at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. For anyone that has never had the chance to go and watch City play at home I can assure you it is more than just going to a football match, it’s an event.
As the players arrive in their coach they walk down the blue carpet and get cheered on by all the fans that have queued to get a glimpse of their heroes before they prepare for the game. The stadium has lots going on outside with stages and presenters, footballs and table tennis tables for fans to entertain themselves with before heading to their seats, it’s truly an experience like no other you will ever go to.
Not only was all of this available to Connor, Maria and Junior but when it came to watching the match they had the privilege of doing so from one of the Executive Boxes which as you can see in the pictures and video, gives spectators an incredibly breath taking view, before the game they were also treated to a pre-match meal which has been described to me as 'a brilliant 3 courses'.
The game was the third time that these two teams had faced each other in the space of 12 days after they played each other in the Champions League Quarter Finals. Tottenham went through on the away goal rule after those matches and so with Man City’s chance of winning the quadruple gone it was back to trying to win their fourth Premier League title.
The game sprung into action very quickly with Phil Foden putting City 1-0 up within five minutes thanks to a diving header (the 18-year old’s first Premier League goal!) After the goal the game became quite nervy for the City players and fans and it was largely thanks to some incredible and crucial saves from their goalkeeper Ederson that they managed to hold on and take the 3 points that moved them back to the top of the table with only 4 games to go.
The game was not necessarily what we have come to expect from this Man City team but their determination and concentration to hold on for the win was apparent, especially when Aymeric Laporte prevented Son Heung-min scoring with an excellent tackle!
As a Manchester City fan it was great that Connor was able to witness his team win the game and helped in turning a great day in to a fantastic one for him and Maria.
The good times didn’t stop at the full time whistle though, as Connor was lucky enough to meet City and England defender John Stones! John was more than happy to have a chat with Connor as well as signing his shirt and posing for some pictures as well. Which brought a very special end to the day.
Every Sporting Wish we are able to grant to children such as Connor is a superb opportunity, to give them a break from their sometimes gruelling hospital visits and treatment regimes is not only great for them but also brilliant for the families who's lives, understandably, can be put on hold when facing the obstacles they do.
A huge thank you to all of you who continue to support our Children's Charity, it truly is appreciated so much by us all and helps us continue to meet and treat these very deserving young boys and girls and their families, so once more, thank you!
Whilst April has been very busy, May is going to be just as busy for us, so why not follow us on our social media accounts for more updates and news as and when it happens, we have facebook, twitter and instagram, so give us a follow, like and share!