A FOOTBALL club has been thanked for replacing a stolen bicycle which belonged to one of their youngest fans.

Nine-year-old Jordan Milligan had left his blue BMX bike unattended while playing with friends at the King George V Playing Fields in Miller Street, Johnstone, earlier this month.

When he returned, the Auchenlodment Primary pupil was heartbroken to discover his Christmas present had vanished, which led to his mum Claire issuing a plea on social media for its return.

Claire told The Gazette: “The next morning, I got a message from a neighbour asking if I could call Stewart Gundry, a committee member of Kilbarchan Thistle Football Club.

“I called him and he said my son was always down watching them play and they were gutted to hear that someone had stolen his bike.

“He said all the football team had chipped in, went to Halfords and bought him a new bike. It was so lovely that I was in tears when he told me.”

Jordan and Claire were invited to attend a Kilbarchan Thistle match at the same playing fields the following day, where Stewart gave the youngster a tour of their changing rooms.

Claire said: “Stewart then took Jordan outside and had the new bike sitting out there for him.

“Jordan had genuinely thought we were going to the park to look for his bike again, so he was flabbergasted when he saw the new one.”

The lucky schoolboy was also given a bike lock and invited to be Kilbarchan Thistle’s mascot for the match, which involved tossing the coin and handing the ball over to the referee ahead of kick-off.

During the match, Jordan and his friends were able to tuck into sweets and drinks provided by the team while sitting on chairs that had been specially brought out to the side of the pitch.

Claire added: “I really want to thank Kilbarchan Thistle FC for their generosity.

“I didn’t know much about the team before this, I just knew that my son was going to the park and there were older boys playing football that he liked to watch.

“They told me he’s always well behaved and has helped put the cones out, so they wanted to give something back when they realised it was Jordan who lost his bike.

“He’s been out on his new bike nearly every day and smiling ever since.”