GIANT strides have been made by a diehard football fan to help transform a youngster’s life with junior and senior clubs lending a hand.

Back in July, Tommy Adams, of the Kilmarnock FC commercial team, started out on an odyssey of football grounds which would ultimately take him 900 miles, to raise money for a dog to help support Lewis Golightly (seven) from the town, who suffers from autism.

It was entitled Tommy’s Trek.

The idea was for Tommy, who has suffered from spina bifida since birth, to do laps around Kilmarnock FC, Whitletts Victoria, Troon FC, St Mirren FC, Beith Juniors, Auchinleck Talbot, Darvel Juniors, Hurlford United, New Douglas Park, home of Hamilton Accies and Cliftonhill (Albion Rovers FC). The clubs all gave him sponsorship for his laps from his walks.

Tommy then returned to Kilmarnock to do more laps at the open day before being asked to go to Kaiserslautern in Germany after some of their fans took part in the opening lap at Rugby Park. Bobby Foster (six), who is an Ayr United fan walked round Rugby Park with Tommy after his dad paid for him to do the trek.

Tommy went to Germany last Friday for the 36th and final lap on Sunday round Kaiserslautern’s stadium before their game against FC Bielefeld, with Martin Wagner, who played for the hosts against Kilmarnock in Europe back in the 1990s, joining him along with Barry Richmond of the Killie Trust. That will be the last Tommy’s Trek. At the end of the lap he will meet Horst Ekcel, an ex-Kaiserslautern player, on the pitch where he won the World Cup with West Germany in 1954.

Tommy said: “The money is for a special dog to help Lewis, who is autistic.

In all the dog costs £7,500 and we now have the money for it. I have connections with all the clubs I have visited and they have been very generous in giving donations and I am grateful to them all. Thank you for allowing us to take this journey and to each and every person who put their hand in their pocket.”