Lincoln Courts play at Brandywell

A total of 500 was raised for The Children's Heartbeat Trust (CHT) after former Northern Ireland international and current Derry City director, Tony O’Dougherty agreed to help a fundraising campaign by a Lincoln Courts family.

Lincoln Courts lost the match narrowly in an exciting and high scoring encounter, finishing 4-3 down.

Mr O'Dougherty described the match itself as "a tremendous occasion, great spirit and a great game."

This game was one of a series of events, inspired by local Dad Neil Bronze, to benefit the children’s heart charity. His six year old son, Lewis, had to face life saving open heart surgery at only three months old. He suffered from a disease of the heart known as Ventricular Septal Defect and required urgent surgery. He is now healthy and thriving, and, the help received by the family from CHT has made the grateful father determined to give something back to the organisation.

Neil Bronze recently told the Sentinel: "The deal was to keep him alive at Altnagelvin and when he was big and strong enough to take him to the Royal for open heart surgery. Our lives were in turmoil."

Once they reached the Royal Victoria Hospital, the family received help to allow them to stay in Belfast free of charge and so remain with Lewis on a 24-7 basis.

Tony O’Dougherty explained: "There was 500 raised. The kids did it through a variety of things, sponsored walks and the like. I had heard about the case of the young fellow...and we were going to engage with Lincoln Courts already, so this was a tremendous opportunity. We are hopeful of arranging a return match and we are just waiting to try and get a pitch sorted out in the Waterside."

The Lincoln Courts team coach, Chris Anderson said: “We were trying to arrange this match and Arlene (Bronze) got in touch with Tony as a Derry City director, to see if the club could help in any way. The club did help, and Lewis was even a mascot for a recent game, but as well as that Tony thought we may as well combine the two things - the match we were arranging and the fundraising for Lewis’s charity.

“The players loved the whole experience, and we were well looked after.”

He also spoke of why the occasion would have been a great opportunity for the young people themselves: "It was tremendous for the kids because they can go away now and say they have played in the Brandywell. It was tremendous."

In another recent fundraising event Neil Bronze gathered and auctioned items donated from high profile members of the sporting world including the Ulster Rugby Team, city boxing hero John Duddy and a 30-year-old football programme signed by the legendary Diego Maradonna.