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Kind Ruud raises the mood

Laura Thistlethwaite
5/ 6/2008

THEIR flights were cancelled and they lost their luggage... but a kids’ football team got a real boost when ex-United star Ruud Van Nistelrooy came bounding down the road to wish them luck in Holland.

After being hit by a catalogue of disasters on their way to play in the Amsterdam Cup, South Manchester Under Tens hoped a chance to meet the Dutch national squad would perk them up.

Mum Eileen Smith, of Lane End Road, Burnage, said: "It was a nightmare! Half the team had to fly via Paris because the airline had accidentally cancelled our tickets.

"Then, when we got there our luggage had been left behind – the team only got their kits back minutes before the first match.

"We heard Holland were playing and promised the kids they could go to the hotel to meet the team, but when we got there the security guards said we couldn’t come in.

"They were so disappointed so we decided to wait by the gates for the coach to come through, so they could wave to the players."

As the bus passed the boys, who recently won the Timperley and District League Cup, they held up their South Manchester jackets and spotted Real Madrid centre forward Ruud Van Nistelrooy at the back of the coach.

Eileen added: "Before we knew it, the coach had stopped further down the road and we saw this figure running towards us. We couldn’t believe it when we realised it was Van Nistelrooy coming to greet us. He’d seen ‘Manchester’ on our jackets and stopped the bus to come and meet us."

Her son Dylan, ten, said: "It was really good. I was just thinking ‘is that really Ruud Van Nistelrooy running towards us’? One of my friends shouted Manchester United champions and Ruud smiled. He wished us luck in our game."

The following day, South Manchester won the best performance trophy and reached the final of the tournament.

South Manchester Under Nines and Under Tens are currently recruiting goalkeepers. Contact Ian Heath on 07738 352386.