The recent amputee international event between Scotland and the Netherlands played at Inverclyde Sports Centre was hailed as an exhilarating experience, with more games lined up for next year.

The game is played on crutches with teams of seven-a-side. Those in goals must have an upper limb amputation while those outfield a lower amputation.

Ashley Reid, CEO of the Amputee Football Association Scotland, said: "The final score was 5-0 to the Netherlands but as awful as that sounds, its really not a disgrace in amputee football! - especially since they Netherlands team has been going for 7 years and us for only 7 months (in fact two of the players on the squad only started in the last 3 months!)

"It was an exhilarating experience for al the players and to get to pull on the official Scotland jersey and represent their country was a dream come true for all involved. We're already lining up international fixtures with Italy in May 2018 (over in Italy) and with Greece so we're looking for more players to come forward and get involved with the sport.

"We will be hosting the next international at Largs, because the facility is simply perfect for such an event. We are to speak with Greece about hosting them in Spring 2018 then we will host the Italian team in October 2018."

The team was put together by Amputee Football Association Scotland (AFAS), the charity set up in October 2016 to promote and develop the discipline of amputee football in Scotland.

Ashley added: “When the players are on the pitch, disabilities are secondary. It’s simply about individuals coming together to play competitive football at a high level. Representing your country is something many can only dream about and the honour is not lost on this team. We intend to give the Dutch everything we’ve got and we’re grateful for all the support the public has shown to date.”