Craig's memorial match nets £3000 for Sick Kids

THE family of a talented young footballer killed in a horrific training ground accident have marked the sixth anniversary of his death by donating more than £3000 to the Sick Kids Friends Foundation.

Former Stewart's Melville College prize-winning pupil Craig Gowans, an apprentice at Falkirk Football Club, was electrocuted in July 2005 when the metal pole of a six-metre high net he had been asked to push came into contact with 11,000-volt overhead wires.

Ex-Scotland international Darren Jackson joined Craig's parents to present kids at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh with money raised at a charity football match in memory of Craig, who died aged just 17.

This year's Craig Gowans Memorial Trophy match, which took place in the Capital last month, saw a team of ex-professional footballers, managed by Scotland boss Craig Levein, take on Hutchison Vale FC - Craig's youth team.

Craig's father John and mother Sheila, brothers Darren, 25, and Dean, 24, and sister Lyndsay, 21, along with some friends, set up the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund to help charities such as the Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF), as well as other projects aimed at helping children in deprived areas.

It has raised more than 25,000 for the SKFF over the past six years.

John, 49, who lives in Blackhall, said: "The charity challenge match is an annual event we have organised in Craig's memory for the last three years. Each year it gets bigger and better and 2011 was no exception.

"It was a fantastic day and helped raise more than 3000, which we have presented to the Sick Kids Friends Foundation.

"A lot of hard work and planning went in to making the event such a success and we'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way, and everyone who came to show their support."

Among the stars pulling on a jersey for the Scotland Select squad were Dave MacPherson, Neil McCann, Gordon Marshall, Jackie McNamara, Simon Donnelly, Gordon Durie, John Collins and John Hughes. Celtic skipper Scott Brown was a special guest on the day.

The event raised 3121 for the SKFF, with the money donated at the end of last month.

Craig's family previously teamed up with the charity to donate a new minibus to an NHS Lothian respite centre.

The 30,000 silver minibus was donated to NHS Lothian's Sunndach House in Livingston - a respite centre which supports 20 children with complex disabilities - courtesy of the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund and the SKFF in April.

Maureen Harrison, chief executive of the SKFF, said: "For the last six years, the SKFF has had fantastic support from the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund."This year's memorial trophy football match was a wonderful success."

Craig, a talented artist and grade-A student, died just two weeks into a two-year apprenticeship with Falkirk.

He had been setting up equipment for training, and was moving a net designed to catch stray footballs at the club's training ground at Little Kerse in Grangemouth, when it touched the power line. He was rushed to Falkirk Royal Infirmary but was pronounced dead on arrival.