Spireites give Joseph, 12, a day he will never forget

Just ask 12-year-old Joseph Bowmer, who is obsessed with everything to do with Chesterfield Football Club.

Simply put, ‘they are his world’, as his mum Sarah told the Derbyshire Times.

The youngster, who has autism and struggles with anxiety, has every Spireites statistic and fact jotted down in his scrapbook.

It is very impressive.

And that is why the Chesterfield manager, Martin Allen, showed it to his players to highlight what it means to be a supporter of the club.

Not only that, Allen invited Joseph to watch and take part in training and eat lunch with them.

A day that Joseph will never forget. But this gesture had an even bigger impact than Allen could ever imagined.

Joseph’s mum Sarah, 51, said: “It happened just before Joseph was due to start secondary school and it really gave him such a lift for his self-esteem and confidence.

“It was an amazing experience for someone like Joseph who has had so many struggles in his life but yet he is so positive and never complains and gets on with things.”

And it also had a deeper meaning for the Bowmer family, including dad Paul, 47, a Spireites supporter all his life, who is physically disabled and is unable to play football with his son.

“It meant so much to Paul that his football club did that for his son,” Sarah said.

“What Martin Allen did, I cannot put into words what it meant not only to Joseph but my husband Paul and our whole family.

“It was kind-hearted and very special.”