Championship club's honour to boy

Goalkeeper Stewart McEwan signed for Reading FC in the summer

Championship footballers and fans have held a minute's applause to "celebrate" the life of a promising schoolboy player who died on a canoeing trip.

Stewart McEwan, 13, of Earley, near Reading, Berkshire, died on the River Usk, near Brecon, Powys, last Saturday.

The young goalkeeper had been signed by Reading Football Club whose manager described him as "one of our own".

Stewart's parents were guests of the club, while players wore black armbands for the game against Southampton.

Stewart's fellow under-14 academy players were also at the match to pay tribute to their team-mate.

Before the game kicked off at 1500 GMT, an announcer spoke to the crowd at Reading's Madejski Stadium.

He said: "On behalf of everyone at Reading Football Club, we offer our sincere condolences to Stewart's family and friends and academy team-mates, who are in attendance at today's game.

"The members of the under-14s academy team and their coaches will now join us in a minute's applause to celebrate Stewart's life."

The under-16s and under-18s also wore black armbands during their matches and were due to hold a minute's silence.

Stewart had been on a week-long educational trip with fellow pupils from Maiden Erlegh School in Wokingham, Berkshire, when he came out of a canoe and was carried down river by the current.

He was later pronounced dead at Hereford Hospital.

'A tragedy'

Dyfed-Powys Police are still treating his death as unexplained following a post-mortem examination.

Officers said the results did not reveal any positive evidence to suggest Stewart had drowned but further tests are under way.

Earlier, Reading FC manager, Steve Coppell, said: "Stewart is one of our own and because of that we are all hurting.

"These are Reading people. Whether you knew him or not, he's one of ours. The club will look after our own."

He said once Stewart had joined the youth academy in the summer, its manager Eamonn Dolan had told him the young player had worked "very, very hard" and was very conscientious.

"Geoff Taylor, who runs the under-14 team, said he was a lovely kid, a credit to his family, and it's just a tragedy when one so young loses his life."

An inquest into Stewart's death was opened on Thursday. The Powys coroner adjourned proceedings for further reports.