By William Kirkpatrick
Ryan Lewis, who passed away on April 24th 2018 at the age of 23, touched so many lives and left a lasting impression on a group of kind and loving people, some of whom came out to celebrate his life on the football pitch.
What was thought by Ryan's mum Linda to be “a couple of Ryan’s friends for a kick-about” to into a mass gathering of people celebrating his life through football. Humbly, she spoke of the pride she had of being Ryan’s mother upon seeing the support he had, “Words can’t describe how it feels.”
Friend and organiser Dominic Grimshaw described him as “a consistent friend – a brother. I speak on behalf of the team of men that have unfortunately found themselves a man down.”
The desire and passion showed by all involved showed that football can help fill the holes people feel are empty.
The generosity and devotion everybody had towards making this day as good as possible was clear. Black shirts with Ryan’s face printed on were given to a team consisting of Ryan’s strong group of friends. The same shirt was also gifted to the young adult’s parents, which according to Linda, “Blew my mind.”
Grimshaw stated that he and Steven Hesford organised the event so Ryan’s family “can have a day of smiles and laughter.” Seeing their reactions on the day, the two organisers should be proud of accomplishing their goals.
That team lined up against Horwich RMI Football Club, Ryan’s old team, who also offered facilities for the day. Before kick-off, teams and spectators observed a minute’s applause to celebrate the life of the young man in the blistering heat.
Both groups of players were visibly nervous, some claiming they struggled to sleep that night from excitement. The added pressure of the hundred eager faces and clicking cameras from the sidelines was something a lot of the players were not used to.
A cagey first half saw the friends of Ryan take a 2-0 lead at half-time. Long balls over the top saw them take advantage of their fast strikers. A deflected finish from Greg Morris within the opening 10 minutes put them in the lead, whilst a wonderful curling effort following some good control around the 27th-minute mark from Stefan Lewis, Ryan’s cousin, was the goal of the afternoon to double the lead.
The opponents slowly got a hold of the game in the second half. Two quick goals into the second half saw them level the scoring, before taking the lead with not much left to play as a softly given free-kick was turned in acrobatically.
It wasn’t long until Team Ryan found an equaliser through Osian Smith, much to the jubilation of the crowd.
With the score level at full time, a penalty shoot-out saw Horwich RMI come out victorious 10-6. With so many players available and each one so eager to contribute, the shoot-out was seemingly never-ending, an example of Ryan’s tenacious attitude rubbing off on the players involved.
The result of the game did not matter. The opponents may walk away with the victory on the pitch, but the heroes off the pitch who put together the celebration of a young man are those who should celebrate. And that’s just what they did – and went to the pub.
Throughout the game, women came around with raffle books. Over £2,000 was raised sold as the friends and families selflessly reached into their pockets for the support of Ryan. The money collected will go towards the cost of the headstone.
The group intend to host a similar match every Bank Holiday to raise money for epilepsy. As Paul O’Rouke, father of Ryan’s childhood friend Connor said; “He was always in the space, but now its more than ever I realise how much space he filled.”
Hopefully, football can fill this space, a reminder of not only his passion for the sport; but the strong family he created around the sport.
Donations have already begun to be made online to Epilepsy Action by friends of Ryan. You can also donate at https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/involved/donations.