Footballer Skye Stout, 16, produced the perfect response to being targeted by vile trolls following her move to Kilmarnock.
Skye should have been celebrating a life-changing moment after signing her first professional contract with Scottish club Kilmarnock.
The SWPL 2 side awarded Skye with her first professional deal after signing the highly-rated prospect from Scottish giants Celtic last week.
Kilmarnock confirmed the announcement on X but subsequently decided to remove the post to stop the online bullying that Skye was receiving regarding her skin.
The football community rallied around the teenager, with Scottish football hero Ally McCoist sending a heartwarming video to the new Kilmarnock signing and wishing her well at his former club.
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Ex-England and Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher also wished her ‘good luck’, while a number of clubs congratulated Skye on her move.
Skye delivered the perfect response to the trolls on her Kilmarnock debut, scoring a superb free-kick in a 6-2 win over St Johnstone.
The midfielder, who played 62 minutes of the game before being taken off to warm applause, was also involved in another goal, providing the assist for teammate Cara Gray.
The club’s post on the goal went viral with fans delighted to see Skye producing the perfect response to the trolls and doing her talking on the pitch.
Football organisation Team Grassroots led a wave of support towards Skye after she was subjected to abuse from ‘pathetic’ trolls.
‘Please send your love and support to 16-year-old Skye Stout from Scotland, and don’t let the ignorant bullies win,’ they posted on X.
‘Yesterday, the official page of the Scottish club Kilmarnock women’s team announced that the club had signed a contract with 16-year-old midfielder Skye Stout.
‘A grassroots player signing her first pro contract, should have been a moment to cherish for her, however, Skye was forced to endure ridicule from ignorant and disrespectful fans who began to humiliate her over her facial acne.
‘Things escalated to the point where the club decided to delete all posts mentioning Skye Stout in an effort to stop the bullying from haters.’
Former Scottish First Minister Hamza Yusef also voiced his support, describing the trolls as ‘sad’ and ‘pathetic’.
‘Skye Stout has just signed for Kilmarnock. At 16 she has already achieved more than her trolls ever will,’ he said.
‘Imagine being a grown man abusing a 16-year-old? What a sad, pathetic, unhappy life these trolls have.’
In his video message to Skye, popular football pundit McCoist said: ‘I’ve just heard you’ve just signed for Kilmarnock which is absolutely fantastic news.
‘I played down there for three years and it was three of the best years of my footballing life and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It’s a fantastic club with great people.
‘You do well Skye, enjoy your football and hopefully one of these days I’ll get a chance to come and see you play. Good luck.’
Kilmarnock Women manager Jim Chapman was full of praise for his team after they thumped St Johnstone.
‘I’m delighted for the girls, the work-rate was excellent on a very warm day,’ he said. ‘The girls continued on from the work we’ve been doing in pre-season.
‘My only criticised at half-time was that it could’ve been even more. We had a little blip after half-time so that’s something to work on. But overall it was a comfortable win – credit to all the girls.’
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