A SPECIAL football match is taking place on Sunday to raise funds for an important charity which has benefited one-year-old Dawson Lundy of Ardrossan.

Dawson, who is the son of Ross and Carla, was born with a rare condition last year. He had a hole in the diaphragm, which affects the stomach, livers and kidneys, leaving little room for the lungs to grow.

The charity is CDH - the congenital diaphragmatic hernia charity - provides vital assistance and help for children who are born with the condition, and their families.

Dawson’s dad Ross is a goalkeeper for Largs Thistle football club, and supporter Alex Anderson came up with the idea of the football fundraiser. The match will be a Largs Thistle fans v Ross Lundy select.

After Dawson was born last summer, the tot was placed in intensive care and received roundthe-clock attention.

The good news is that the family have just returned from a weekend on Arran to celebrate Dawson’s first birthday, and the courageous young fighter has shown great progress over the past year.

Ross said: “Everything is going great with Dawson. He is still on a bit of oxygen, but he will be coming off that in the next week or two.

“I can’t thank Alex Anderson enough for all his help in organising this Sunday’s fundraiser. I was to choose the charity and suggested CDH. Alex has been in contact with them, and I have not had to do anything apart from select my own squad for the match.”

And in something of a departure for the popular goalkeeper, he will be swapping his goalie gloves for striking boots this weekend, as he will be playing upfront.

He said: “I think it is going to be quite a competitive match, and I want to win! “CDH UK is a great charity - I have been dealing with them for advice, and any money which is raised goes into research as well as try and find out what the actual cause of the condition is.”

There will also be a big raffle at the game with lots of different prizes to raise funds for the charity, and the match, which kicks off at 1pm at Barrfields Park, Largs, and it will be entry by donation.

The star of the show Dawson will also be attending with mum Carla, and Ross’s parents Bill and Irene, will also be there on the day to support the big event