Charity match honors late coach Steve Beckitt with tribute game at Swinton Athletic Football Club

The Swinton Spartans coach and well-known runner died recently, aged 43.

A team of Spartans coaches took on a Swinton Athletic over-35s side in the charity game.

The match for Rotherham Hospice was the latest in a series of tributes in memory of Steve, who was known as “Mini”.

Spartans under-10s, for which Steve’s son Matt plays, wore the name “Mini” on the back of their shirts for a match last month, which Steve’s wife Vicki said was “a lovely gesture”.

The team, which Steve had taken on as under-7s four years ago with his friend, Phil Saunders, also released football-shaped balloons for Steve, while all the Spartans teams held a minute’s applause as a mark of respect in the weeks following his death.

Vicki said: “Steve was known as Mini since primary school.

“Apparently his footballing skills earned him the nickname because he was like a mini Maradona.

“Our Matty played in the game and he was determined he was going to score, which he did.”

More than 140 runners, family members and friends gathered at Hooton Lodge last month to take part in a memorial run for Steve in aid of the Rotherham Hospice.

Steve was also a keen runner, competing for Kimberworth Striders and, more latterly, Rotherham Running Club.

He completed the 17-mile Half Tour of Bradwell just a month before he became ill.