Ballboy get an added kick from Eden Hazard

City four-piece Ballboy have become a major talking point in the football world with the band name trending on Twitter around the globe as fans and pundits use the hashtag #ballboy to reference the incident.

This has also resulted in a steady stream of visitors to the band’s Facebook page.

Lead singer Gordon McIntyre has made numerous jokes online about the incident at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium, and has jokingly vowed to record a tribute single for the 17-year-old victim, Charlie Morgan, right.

He tweeted: “So, after all these albums and hard work, turns out I just needed to let a #cfc player boot me in the ribs to get trending.

“This could be our big break. Sorry for the lad, of course, but well done for taking one for the cause.”

The frontman then went on to joke that Hazard was merely distracting attention away from something worse that fellow Chelsea player John Terry was doing elsewhere on the pitch.

He suggested they may record a tribute single for the ballboy who was kicked.

The incident took place when Hazard was attempting to retrieve the ball from under the ballboy who had jumped on top of it in an apparent bid to waste time near the end of the game.

A South Wales Police investigation into the matter has since been shelved.

Ballboy formed in 1997 and have released five albums including most recent album, I Worked On The Ships, in 2008.

Popular with legendary DJ John Peel, the band comprises Mcintyre on vocals and guitar, Nick Reynolds on bass, Alexa Morrison on keyboards and Gary Morgan on drums.

They reformed in 2012 and played their first gig in nearly two years at Edinburgh’s Electric Circus in December.

Fans flocked to the band’s Twitter account to post messages regarding their new found, if slightly misguided, resurgence and fame.

Stuart McMichael tweeted: “Idea for new EP title: Ballboy – I hate Chelsea” – a reference to the band’s popular hit, I Hate Scotland.

To which Gordon replied: “Now you’re just trying to get me into trouble.”

Another fan, Craig Gornall, asked: “Surely @ballboymusic will be seizing this fantastic opportunity #1single.”

However Gordon responded: “Dunno – didn’t get much Olympic Cyclist action out of the Olympic cycling!”

Since debut album A Guide For The Daylight Hours, which they recorded at Chamber Studios in Granton in November 2002, they have gone on to release a further four albums, all of which have been critically lauded by the nation’s music press.

The band also have five John Peel live sessions to their name, including a special Christmas edition at the late, great presenter’s house, Peel Acres.

In 2008 McIntyre teamed up with one of Scotland’s leading playwrights, David Greig, to pen the play Midsummer, which ran at the Traverse 
Theatre.

Hazard faces ban

BELGIAN playmaker Eden Hazard faces an extended ban after the Football Association charged him over the incident.

He was already set to serve an automatic three-match suspension for his red card in Wednesday night’s match at the Liberty Stadium.

However, the FA deemed that “insufficient” punishment for the offence.

An FA statement read: “It is alleged that Hazard’s behaviour in relation to a Swansea ballboy, for which the player was dismissed in the 78th minute, constituted violent conduct whereby the standard punishment that would otherwise apply was clearly insufficient.”

Aberdeen boss Craig Brown said: “You can never condone what the Chelsea player did, no matter how frustrated he was.