FOOTBALL players visited Royal Blackburn Hospital on their annual Christmas visit to the children’s unit.

Accrington Stanley Club captain Seamus Conneely, Jordan Clark, Aaron Chapman, Mallik Wilks and Erico Sousa arrived with the goodies they made at Celebrate Gifts in Accrington last week.

The players gave out signed footballs, signed cards and selection boxes to children aged from seven-weeks-old to 15-years-old, who were in the hospital for treatment to a variety of illnesses.

There were a couple of Stanley fans at the hospital while Leeds United loanee Mallik Wilks cheered up Leeds fan Kai Mole, 11, who had just had his appendix removed.

The players were also quite proud to give out chocolate boxes from Celebrate Gifts in Accrington - they had made some of the boxes themselves on a trip to the business last week.

Striker Billy Kee said: “It’s nice to put a smile on the faces of the children in hospital at this time.

“It is really hard to see but hopefully a large majority of them will get home for Christmas.

“Hopefully we helped some have a better day.”

Club captain Seamus Conneely said: “It’s a very humbling experience to come here and see the children and their families.

“It puts a lot of things into perspective for myself and the lads, but it’s also nice to be able to come here and help to put a smile on their faces and hopefully the gifts that we brought with us helped to do that.

“It’s very important that we as a club continue to attend days like today, when we come down and see how difficult that some people have it in their lives.

“We realise that the little things we worry about, such as losing a football game on a Saturday doesn’t really matter.”

A club spokesman said: “It’s really difficult to see children spending their Christmas in hospital this year, but we hope that Accrington Stanley Football Club helped contribute to them and their families having a better day.”