Rachel Pickard, aged ten, on the ball at Bootham Crescent where she is turning out tonight as mascot for the England U15 team

What a difference a year makes for Rachel Pickard.

One year ago today, the York youngster was critically ill in intensive care after being knocked down on a pelican crossing in Hull Road.

For weeks, her life hung in the balance as doctors removed her spleen and part of her pancreas.

But this evening, the ten-year-old will don a football strip to join the soccer talent of tomorrow as it assembles on the pitch at Bootham Crescent.

She has been picked - along with football crazy York youngster Matthew Murphy - to become a mascot for the Under-15 match between England and Northern Ireland, which is being broadcast live on Sky TV.

Rachel, of Kirkdale Road, Osbaldwick, who enjoys football, was delighted to be asked to become a mascot. And it will be a proud moment for her mother, Shirley, who feared at one time her daughter would not pull through.

"It's like a dream come true," she said. "It was touch and go for weeks."

She said Rachel had recovered well from the accident, although the loss of her spleen had left her permanently vulnerable to infection, particularly in the throat.

She will be on antibiotics for the rest of her life, and these have to be stepped up each time she gets a throat infection, as had happened again earlier this week.

l The match starts at 8.05 pm. Adult tickets are £3, with free entry for children who must be accompanied by an adult. See back page for match details.

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