MAN of the match Kelvin Lockwood made a dramatic comeback to football after a year-long struggle with arthritis.

Kelvin Lockwood, a football studies student at Southampton University, returned to Semington on Tuesday to play for his home team, the Semington Magpies, in the Trowbridge and District Spring cup final.

The 25-year-old scored a hat-trick and was named man of the match.

He said: "I think I got a bit lucky. I was really pleased because we were three-nil down at half time."

Mr Lockwood was diagnosed with reactive arthritis, a rare condition that affected his joints, in January last year, which meant he had to take time out from football.

He said: "I had a year without playing at all and the comeback has been longer than I ever imagined it to be.

"If I realised at the time that it was going to be for a year I would have been devastated."

Reactive arthritis, which usually affects people aged 20-50, is caused by bacteria which travel through the body to the joints between bones, causing swelling and stiffness, most often in knees, ankles and toes.

Mr Lockwood said his symptoms started quite quickly one weekend and by the Monday morning he was in so much pain he went to see his doctor, who referred him to a specialist. He spent a week being treated in hospital last February.

He started playing football a few months ago, mainly as a substitute and said he felt he was getting better each week.

"It's not like an injury where you know you can either play or you can't. It seems to be something that is gradually going away but it's just a terribly slow process," he said.

His mum Rose Lockwood, 49, said: "I'm really chuffed and proud of him but also a bit worried.

"To be honest I would have preferred him not to be out there. He was told not to play football ever again but you are not going to stop Kelvin because he eats, sleeps and dreams it and that's his life.

"He's 25 and he's not going to listen to his mum. In some ways it was a big relief because I never thought I would see him play again."