Hearts ball boy pelted by coins from Celtic fans says: I won't let thugs stop me
May 23 2011 Amy Devine
A BRAVE ball boy has vowed to defy the thugs who pelted him with coins and landed him in hospital.
Hearts fan Jack Waddell, 14, was targeted by rival fans during his team's clash with Celtic on May 11.
He suffered concussion after yobs hurled 2p coins at him - just after Celtic manager Neil Lennon was assaulted by a Hearts fan.
But Jack said: "I love helping Hearts and this won't stop me."
Jack, of Loanhead, Midlothian, was covering the away end of the SPL match at Tynecastle as he was one of the Edinburgh club's most experienced ball boys.
He added: "After the Celtic manager was attacked, the crowd went mental. They were shouting and jeering.
"I was hit in the head. I looked down and saw a 2p lying next to me. Then another coin was lobbed and I was hit in the head again."
Jack's mum Linda, 39, drove him to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after he fell ill the next day.
Tests showed he had sustained a brain injury but he has now fully recovered.
A Hearts spokesman said last night: "A thorough investigation into events on that night is ongoing."
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