Matt Crossen says his experience of the Cerebral Palsy World Championships shows anything is possible with hard work and commitment.
The England Cerebral Palsy star, who suffered a stroke at the age of 22 that left him with restricted movement on his left side, has been one of England's star performers at the Championships.
After fears he may never play again, through sheer will and determination, he bounced back.
England 2-0 Ireland
Cerebral Palsy World Championships
Fifth-place play-off
Saturday 27 June
St. George's Park
And on Saturday he scored a strong contender for Goal of the Tournament as England beat Ireland 2-0.
“I had a stroke a couple of years ago and the doctors were shocked at how fit I kept myself,” he told TheFA.com.
“They were worried about me playing football but after the scans were happy for me to play again – they couldn't stop me from playing to be honest.
“There was bad patches, especially having a stroke so young. There’s always bad times but you just have to keep going.
“That’s what I kept telling myself and that it would be worth it at the end. And scoring a couple of goals in the World Championships has proved that.”
Matt Crossen scores a sensational goal against Ireland
After his sensational strike against USA 24 hours earlier – which in itself was another contender for the gong – Crossen went one better against Ireland.
With both teams battling for a fifth-place finish – higher than either had come before – the stakes were high.
With the game delicately poised at 0-0, the 24-year-old from Stockton-On-Tees picked up the ball and ran at the Ireland defence.
He beat his man, but a slightly heavy touch took him away from goal and onto his weaker left side.
Somehow he managed to wrap his right foot around the ball and chip the Ireland goalkeeper.
A simply stunning finish – and a special celebration to match.
“At first I didn’t think it was going to go in,” he recalled. “But I saw it loop over the goalkeeper, hit the post and then trickle in it was a special feeling.
England beat Ireland to secure their spot among the world's top five
“I thought I’d taken it far too far to the left. As soon as I managed to wrap my foot around it I knew I had a decent connection and I was delighted to see it go in.
“I’d planned the celebration. The missus is pregnant and was watching at home – so I ran over to the camera, thumb in mouth. I wanted to celebrate it with her.”
So as the 12-day St. George's Park tournament comes to an end for England, Crossen ended by saying it would be an experience he would never forget.
He also reserved special words of gratitude to the people that made it happen.
“It’s been an unbelievable experience. I never want it to end. I want them to just come in and say ‘this is the group stage starting again’."
“We’ve shown that disability doesn’t mean you can’t do something”
Matt Crossen
“We’ve shown that disability doesn’t mean you can’t do something – look at us. We play sport, just ignore it.
"You’ve still got ability regardless of anything that’s going on.
“We’ve loved every moment – and we couldn’t have done it with the volunteers.
“They are the ones that make tournaments like this happen I would I like to thank them also.
“They’ve been absolutely wonderful and I know I speak for every player here when I say we’re all hugely grateful to them.”
