A teenager whose father died of leukaemia this month has battled on with two sponsored football matches to raise funds into treatment of the disease.

Fifteen-year-old Steven Beakes, of Queensway in Didcot, had already organised his youth club team to play two matches in one day for charity before his father, 47-year-old Richard Beakes, was taken ill.

But he decided to carry on with both games to raise money for Leukaemia Research after his dad died just over a fortnight ago.

The Year 10 pupil from St Birinus School wore his father's football shirt underneath his youth club kit for the first match - so he could feel like his dad was running with him.

The boys from the youth team played two matches in Edmonds Park, one at 11am and the next at 6pm.

He said: "I had the idea for charity matches after watching an advert for Cancer Research on TV.

"But when my dad died, I decided to raise money for Leukaemia Research.

"My dad was mad about football. He once hitchhiked up to Bradford just to watch his team play.

"Playing football for him is the one thing my dad would have liked me to do."

Like his father, Steven is a Reading fan. The pair travelled to most matches with their club season tickets.

Steven was honorary captain for the first match against a Henley youth team, before moving to the bench for the second match against Drayton youth team.

Steven's friend Peter Tyler, who has supported him through the difficult time, played in goal for one of the matches.

His mum, Heather Comerford, said: "It's a big thing for a 15-year-old to come up against, but he has been coping.

"Every day he has helped with running his dad's newspaper delivery business - and he has really looked after his nan.

"I'm so proud - so is his nan, and his dad would have been too."

Steven has raised over £300 in sponsorship, but members of the whole team hope to make even more.

The team's manager, youth worker Paul Gander, helped Steven with the organisation and they will present a cheque to charity after the football.