Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Nicki supports bro and Scots side
Albion Rovers midfielder Nicki Paterson is hoping to help the Scotland CP team and his brother achieve his World Cup dream.
Nicki’s brother Jonathan, 32, has Cerebral Palsy and was told he would never walk or talk. However, he has went on to represent the CP Team GB side at three Palaympics.
That all changed for the Motherwell man when football was axed by the Olympic committee with the British side becoming the England team and funding cut completely for the Scots.
Paterson, who has battled back from injury this term at Cliftonhill, says his younger sibling has been an “inspiration to me throughout my whole career.”
With the side needing to travel to raise £10K to travel to Catalonia for their shot at the world stage, the 35-year-old has managed to bring in £1000 so far.
He hopes the footballing world will rally behind boss Greig Taylor to hit their target.
“For my brother it’s always been his dream to play professional football,” he told the Advertiser.
“I have been lucky enough to play pro for a long time now, and that has always been his dream. I’ve had injuries but he has kept me going.
“He is at the gym and trying to get fit and you keep your head up.
“I would say my career has been a joint effort – I couldn’t give up because I knew how much it meant.
“He looked up to me, and I looked up to him, we were very close.
“For me it’s an emotional one. I’ve always had what he wanted, but he’s an inspiration for me.
“It just shows don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t do something.
“He’s definitely got more Scotland caps that me that’s for sure!
“Greig ( Taylor) and his staff have done a great job raising £20,000 to get the squad up and running over the past couple of years and get the kits; everything they would need.
“They need another £10,000 to secure their place at this tournament or the chances are this might collapse again.
“The coaches and the team have taken them so far without bugging anyone for money.
“My brother himself has had to pay for a couple of things; he has taken holidays and unpaid leave.
“This time I took it upon myself to help because I am in a fortnuate position where I have a following on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
“I’ve had a great support so far. After a day I managed to raise £1000 and I was blown away by that.
“I hoped to at least cover my brothers side of things but hopefully we can get a bit more.
“The most important thing was for me to raise awareness of this and find anyone who can help.”
Nicki admits it was tough to his brother’s side face budget cuts and have to reform but is proud to have watched Jonathan play a huge part in the rebuild of the side.
“Being able to play for the CP team was a big change in his life,” he went on.
“He was picked to represent Scotland and went on to be the top scorer for the team.
“That has given him in the biggest confidence boost. There has been an immense change in him that it’s great to see.
“He’s been able to get some great experience Great Britain CP team and competed in three Paralympics in Beijing, Rio and London.
“Then a decision was taken to cut football from the Paralympics which was a bit of a kick in the teeth for Jonathan.
“They didn’t need a Team GB and that then turned into the England team.
“They took the Scottish coach at the time and then funding was pulled by the powers that be.
“It meant that Jonathan couldn’t represent his country. It was a really tough period.
“Football is a release for people. I’ve had my bad injuries and bad times but I’ve been able to come back. There didn’t seem like there was a way back for the CP team.
“They re-grouped and got the team back together, and thought let’s have a bit of a go here. So the got a staff in place, a physio, and were able to play out of Stenhousemuir. The Stenny team then became the Scotland team and they have a tournament in Barcelona to get them to a World Cup. It’s inspiring.”