A plaque for a promising footballer who was just starting to establish himself in the North Village team was presented yesterday by his family to keep his memory alive.

Meshach Swan, who would have been 24 today, died in a bike accident last July in Southampton, leaving his family and the North Village community in shock. The plaque, which was presented to Stephen Coddington, the Village president last evening, was offered by Swan’s family along with a trophy which will be presented annually to the most consistent and dedicated Village youth player.

“They came to us and asked if we were okay with that and I didn’t have an issue with it, I used to coach Meshach myself at both youth and senior level,” Coddington said.

“His character would definitely warrant it. He started to make the team but then got a job [at Fairmont Southampton] doing shift work and couldn’t get into the team because he couldn’t train and was working on game days.

“He was a left sided fullback, tall, extremely quick and very coachable. He was developing into a fine player and I remember one of the better games he had was against PHC at Southampton Rangers and he had to mark Cecoy [Robinson] who was having a very good season. The following season he didn’t play that much so if he had two or three seasons at the senior level that was it.

“His death was a shock to all of us, he was a really nice guy. We even mentioned to him that ‘because of your behaviour and attitude, would you be willing to come out and help out with the youth programme?’ Because of his job he couldn’t do it, but he was a role model to his peers.”

Coddington told the family last night at Bernard Park how Swan “epitomised all the attributes we wish to develop in our young men and women” He added: “He was respectful, humble, very responsible, worked hard, always gave his best and would be there to support, though less in words but surely in presence.”

Shaun Goater, who was coach of Village when Swan made his senior debut, said: “We gave him his debut up in Somerset,” Goater stated in a tribute from England where he now lives.

“He came in ‘out of the blue’ and put in a man of the match performance. He was the perfect player who got on with whatever the coach asked. He never complained if he wasn’t starting, but when given the opportunity he just gave his all. He never blamed anyone for a team’s bad performance and he always took on hs responsibility. I miss him.”

Swan was a loyal supporter of Liverpool and he was quoted in a Royal Gazette article on Liverpool supporters in Bermuda last January, saying: “Definitely, I’ve been a Liverpool supporter since 2003-04 season, basically all my life because my daddy, Michael Baker, is a Liverpool supporter.

“I was more into track and field back in the day, then became a football fanatic and it was Liverpool straight off the bat.”

Six months later a promising young life was taken away on a day that his family will never forget. “It still feels like he’s not gone,” Durendah Hassell, his aunt, said.

“We often hear people who speak to us say positive things about him and that has helped us in our grieving. Everybody loved to be in his presence.”