Former team mates gather to honour Doncaster stabbing victim Ryan Theobald

  • Video report by Jon Hill

The mother of a young man stabbed to death in Doncaster has paid an emotional tribute as his former team mates took part in a charity football match in his memory.

Twenty-year-old Ryan Theobald died, along with his friend, 17-year-old Janis Kozlovskis, in the early hours of Saturday, 29 January.

South Yorkshire Police said the pair were fatally injured during a fight between a number of young men in the town centre just after 2.30am. An 18-year-old man was also injured.

Janis Kozlovskis, 17, and Ryan Theobald, 20 died after being stabbed in Doncaster on 29 January. Credit: South Yorkshire Police

Their deaths have prompted an outpouring of grief.

A minute's applause was held at Bessacarr FC, where Ryan used to play on Sunday, 8 February.

Roads in the town centre were closed off after the stabbings. Credit: ITV Calendar

Ryan's mother Lisa Theobald said his family had received getting messages from all over the world.

She said: "Ryan was such a lovely lad. He knew lots of people from all over Doncaster, he would do anything for anybody.

"I'm just overwhelmed with all the support we've been getting."

Ryan's sister, Jasmine, said her brother would not have believed how many people turned up to the match.

The club says it hopes to support Ryan's family and highlight the impact knife crime has on communities.

Wayne Morgan, from Bessacarr FC, said: "Our motivation was to make sure that Ryan's mum and sister were looked after, nothing else, and if now on the back of that we can get some message out to get rid of knife crime, that's where we want to go with this."

A 19-year-old man from Doncaster has been charged with murder. He is due to appear in court again in April.