Kentish Express Ashford & District
Juniors pay respects to their talented No.5
Young footballers from across the county paid tribute to a talented 15-year-old who “led by his performances on the pitch”.
Popular Towers School pupil Owen Kinghorn was found dead in a field in Great Chart at about 9pm on Saturday, September 7.
The Arsenal fan was remembered at numerous youth football matches at the weekend, with scores of players paying tribute to the enthusiastic centre-back.
Ashford United’s Kent Youth League under-16s dedicated their 4-0 win over Tonbridge Angels at Homelands to Owen, who had played for Kennington Juniors for years but was known by many of the Ashford team.
Before the match began, both sides observed a minute’s silence.
A similar tribute was seen at Folkestone’s Three Hills Sports Park where Folkestone Invicta and Kennington Juniors met in the under-16s East Kent Youth League.
Owen had only recently joined Folkestone Invicta and both sides remembered him before their clash.
On Sunday, Kennington’s away tie against Margate in the Kent Youth League saw both captains walk onto the pitch with one of Owen’s shirts.
His number five shirt has now been retired by Kennington in tribute to the youngster and both his home and away shirts are being framed and given to his mother, Rachael.
Owen’s grandad, David Kinghorn, says the family has been blown away by the events at the weekend, which also included a minute’s silence at Ashford United’s under-16s East Kent Youth League match against Woodnesborough at Sandyacres in Kennington.
Mr Kinghorn said: “As a family we have already said we have been overwhelmed by messages of support and seeing the grief and pain suffered by those who knew Owen at school or football.
“Over the weekend within the football community, a large number of tributes were paid to Owen by way of a silence or applause.
“There were so many that with the best will in the world we could not attend all of them, particularly as there will have been some like the Kennington FC tributes which we were unaware of.
“At all of them we attended we then shook
the hands of all the players after the tribute.”
Mr Kinghorn says Kennington’s decision to retire the number five shirt has “deeply moved the whole family”.
He added: “We are aware that for Owen’s classmates and football colleagues, there will have inevitably been a disruption to their GCSE studies as many of them will be taking their GCSEs next May/June.
“To all of them we say please refocus and endeavour to work harder at your revision and so obtain higher grades.
“Doing that will be the best individual personal tribute you can make to Owen and he would have wanted you to obtain higher grades.”
Kennington Juniors FC coach Tim Hanley, who worked with Owen on-and-off following his arrival at the club, heaped praise onto the centre-back.
“He was a very courageous young man and although he wasn’t the captain, he led by his performances,” Mr Hanley said.
“Owen was a big part of the team - he was 100% committed.” Owen’s death is not being treated as suspicious by police.