STOKE CITY supporter Thomas Buckett has held a kick-about with defender Andy Wilkinson as he continues his remarkable recovery from a serious head injury.

Wilkinson challenged the teenager to a game of football when he was lying in a coma in the University Hospital of North Staffordshire five weeks ago after an accident in which he fell through a skylight in the roof of Clayton Hall Business and Language College.

The 25-year-old full back pledged to return to hospital to see the youngster again on his road to recovery and kept that promise this week by visiting him at Haywood Hospital where he is now undergoing specialist rehabilitation work to boost that progress.

It was during this visit that Buckett was able to demonstrate the speed of his recovery by having a kick-about with one of his Britannia Stadium heroes.

"It's remarkable to see how well he has recovered in that short space of time," said Wilkinson. "When I challenged him to that game of football, in all honesty I thought it would be a long, long time before we would be able to have the kick around.

"It's fantastic to see him doing so well and we want him to continue that recovery so that we see him at the Britannia Stadium early in the new season."

While this was Wilkinson's second visit to see Buckett in hospital, his defensive colleague Ryan Shawcross has also been in to see the teenager recently.

His mother Mandy said: "We can't thank Stoke City enough, and Andy Wilkinson and Ryan Shawcross in particular for their tremendous support.

"I am convinced that the visits by these two players has boosted his recovery. Tom was talking non-stop after Andy's visit the other afternoon and it was wonderful that he not only spent so much time with him but also offered him so much encouragement."

Buckett suffered 10 fractures to his skull when he fell through the skylight and after lifesaving surgery, he was left in a coma for almost two weeks.

Doctors told the family they have never seen anyone with such severe head injuries manage to survive and he has continued to amaze them with his recovery.