'˜Old Firm' tussle helps Toby towards his goal

Toby Etheridge (10) was guest of honour at the match, which was held at Duffus Park on Sunday.

Amongst the players was River City star Jordan Young - Alex McAllister in the popular BBC soap - who’s a former Bell Baxter High School pupil and an old friend of organiser Wayne Melrose.

Toby, a pupil of St Columba’s Primary School in Cupar, suffers from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and has to undergo gruelling treatment.

He and his family have raised more than £20,000 for CLIC Sargent, but have now set up Toby’s Magical Journey, which will support children in Fife who’ve been diagnosed with cancer.

A significant part of the money was donated by three Cupar businesses, Robert Mason Contracts, the Blind Company and Town and Country Taxis, with the rest being collected on the day.

And Toby was in for a treat courtesy of AM Soccer boss Austin McPhee, who presented the lucky youngster with a pair of boots not only signed by Arsenal and England striker Theo Walcott, but personally owned by him too.

“It was a brilliant day all round,” said Wayne.

“The sun shone and we had a good turnout. Our thanks to everyone who took part and who donated to such a worthwhile cause.”

The old schoolfriends became rivals for 90 minutes, with Jordan playing for ‘Rangers’ and Wayne donning a ‘Celtic’ shirt.

But once again ‘Celtic’ emerged triumphant, winning the match by eight goals to four.