A group of footballers from Lincolnshire with Down's Syndrome had an experience of a lifetime when they got to play an integral part of a professional matchday and play in front of their heroes Lincoln City.
The Lincoln City DS Active team travelled to London on Saturday to take part in a round-robin tournament organised by Charlton Athletic, before walking out with the Imps' first-team and take part in a lap of honour at half-time.
The DS Active team got to play on the main pitch at The Valley, home of Charlton Athletic, and were buzzing when Lincoln City's first-team went out of their way to watch them before preparing for their match. They even got some words of wisdom from Imps head coach Michael Skubala.
And the first-team were clearly inspired as they became the first opposition team in three months to avoid defeat at Charlton Athletic, returning to Lincolnshire with a commendable point after a 2-2 draw.
Patrick O'Reilly, who coaches the team, said: "We are very grateful to everyone at Lincoln City and Lincoln City Foundation for their support in making it such a special day for the players - it made their day to know the first-team and coaching staff were watching and follow their results. We travelled down together on a club-branded minibus which made everyone feel special.
"Travelling down together on a minibus and getting to play on the main pitch at the Valley was a truly memorable experience for everyone. Thank you to everyone at Charlton Upbeats, Charlton Athletic Community Trust and the Addicks in general for the invite and pulling everything together, they couldn’t have made us feel any more welcome.
"One of our player's parents said seeing his son play on the pitch with his friends felt like he'd won the FA Cup final.
"Our DS Active team relies on people giving up their time, so this was a wonderful way to give them something back - and seeing the Imps' end Charlton Athletic's winning run afterwards was the icing on the cake! We are already planning the reverse fixture and hosting them at the LNER Stadium."
The DS Active team is run by Lincoln City Foundation - the charity linked to Lincoln City Football Club - for more information head to lincolncityfoundation.com/dsactive.