Paralympic medal is the target for ace Jonathan

Jonathan (28), of Cypress Road, Motherwell, is part of the Great Britain Paralympic seven-a-side football squad who will be going for gold in Rio next month.

The organiser of his Paralympic party was wife Lisa Keenan-Paterson, who said: “It never stopped raining so we had to abandon our plans for a barbecue.

“But I still did some cooking and we had home made lasagne indoors.

“We had a really good day. It was great to show Jonathan our support for him doing well in Rio.

“We went to see him at the last Paralympics in London four years ago, but Rio is just too far away for us so we’ll be watching him on the telly.”

Jonathan – who plays on the left side of midfield – and his Great Britain team-mates were seventh at the London Games but Lisa said that they are a lot stronger now than they were then.

“They are definitely targeting a medal this time,” she added.

“This will be Jonathan’s third Paralympics and there are not many people who get the chance to compete in so many.

“Hopefully our party has boosted his confidence and lifted his morale by illustrating just how many people will be supporting him in Rio.”

Jonathan and the rest of his GB football chums will fly out to Rio this Sunday, August 28.

They will be on duty at the Paralympics opening ceremony on September 5, before the first group game is played a day later.

Lisa added: “Jonathan really deserves success at the Paralympics because he has trained so hard that he has missed out on a lot of family events.”

Jonathan, who works as a product consultant for Kwikfit Insurance, married Lisa – who is originally from Ireland – last September.

They first met at a night out in Edinburgh in April 2011, when Lisa was in Scotland for a hen party.