Stephen’s star turn for Crosshouse class
Young pupils at Crosshouse Primary School have recently been jumping for joy, thanks to Auchinleck Talbot FC star Stephen Wilson – who is also a classroom assistant for Additional Support Needs at the school.
Midfielder Stephen was fresh from a fantastic win against Ayr United in the Scottish Cup – marking the furthest a Junior League team has gone in the tournament and came to Crosshouse to host a physical education class.
As usual, his enthusiasm and cheery approach soon had the pupils jumping, climbing, running and skipping – all with happy smiles.
Stephen also brought the news reporter Peter Smith and a cameraman from ITV News who were keen to see what he was up to before the big match against Premier side Hearts - and many of the pupils ended up getting on the telly!
Stephen said: “I love my job and it’s fantastic to see how much self-confidence children and young people get from sport – taking on wee personal challenges and exceeding their own expectations.
“PE and sports are really important and the benefit they add to learning and wellbeing are crucial. But, most importantly of all, it’s a lot of fun and is often the highlight of the school day.
“Seeing the news report and the way the kids were having so much fun was superb and I promise the big cheer for the Auchinleck team was not rehearsed!”
Despite that support from the pupils the Cup match against Hearts resulted in a 4-0 defeat, with Stephen narrowly missing a consolation goal in the last few minutes of the match - but it is clear he has won the hearts of his happy Crosshouse learners!