“Even now, more than 18 months on, it has still not fully sunk in. I see little Freddie growing up and it hits me so hard.”

Chris Hitchcock is talking about the loss of his son James, a goalkeeper for non-league Barton Town, who died after a single punch to the head in an unprovoked attack.

James, a popular team-mate known as ‘Hitchy’ to family and friends, was killed in December 2024, just before he was about to spend his first Christmas as a father following the birth of Freddie six months earlier.

His death not only devastated his family, but it left a tight-knit football club in mourning.

“Until you start speaking about it again… it almost doesn’t feel real,” says Anthony Bowsley, manager of Lincolnshire part-timers Barton.

The day before the attack, James had pulled off a fine save in a 1-1 draw with Bottesford Town in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division.

“As he was coming off, I said to him ‘great save Nigel Martyn’ because Hitchy was a Leeds fan and he had a little chuckle to himself,” says Bowsley.

It would be his last game.

The following day, the former Leeds United academy player, 32, was struck from behind at York Railway Station on his way back from a day out with friends. He died in hospital.

On Saturday, his widow, April, and son Freddie, now aged two, will be at Barton Town’s FA Cup third qualifying round home tie with Chorley – one of the biggest matches in the ninth-tier club’s history.

April, who married James in July 2022, says being around the football club where he used to play brings comfort after the unimaginable loss of her husband.

The pain of his loss, however, runs deep.

“It’s really sad looking at where James used to stand in goal and saying ‘where is he?'” April, 32, tells BBC Sport.

“He should be stood there.”

“It was a numb feeling. You don’t believe something like that could happen to one of your mates,” Barton Town defender Jack Bulless says.

Bulless, who also played with James at Bridlington Town, should have been part of the group on the day trip to York but pulled out due to illness.

Andy Norfolk, a long-time friend and team-mate, did join James and their friends.

“I remember the Manchester derby being on television in the bars we visited,” says Norfolk.

“It was an annual Christmas get-together, a day trip, nothing too heavy. We arrived back at the station to go home early.

“I ended up getting a taxi back to Hull as the train was not for another hour. I remember Hitchy saying he was going to get some food.”

It was the last time Norfolk saw his friend.

Leeds Crown Court heard James suffered a fracture to his skull and brain damage when he fell to the floor after being punched on the right side of the back of his head.

Recalling that day, April says: “I’d just put Freddie to bed when I got a call to say James had been hit, that he was unconscious, and was on his way to hospital.

“At that point I thought he had concussion and I needed to pack a bag because he was only going to be in for a day or two.

“When I got to the hospital they explained that he needed to be transferred to the intensive care unit at Hull Royal Infirmary. He was on a life support machine until he lost the battle.”

Mckenzie Dicicco, who was then 22, was jailed for six years and eight months in July 2025 after pleading guilty to manslaughter for what judge Guy Kearl said was a “cowardly, deliberate and vicious attack on a man who had no chance to defend or brace himself”.

Speaking after the verdict, April described being “lost and alone as the love of my life was so selfishly taken from me”.

James’ father, Chris, who used to take his son to Elland Road to watch David O’Leary’s Leeds team in the late 90s, says his life has been changed forever because of “one senseless act”.

“I don’t live any more – I exist,” he says.

“I try and be happy, I try and do things and I put a brave face on. But it’ll never be the same again for me.”

James’ memory lives on at Barton Town, whose 3,000-capacity ground is within eyeshot of the Humber Bridge.

“He is always with us,” says Bowsley, referring to ‘Hitchy #1’ which has been sewn on to the back of the club’s shirts.

“It’s a beautiful thing to have on the shirt,” adds Norfolk, who attended his friend’s stag do in Benidorm, wedding near York and then his funeral – all in the space of two and a half years.

“Before each game I look at the back of the shirt and have my 10 seconds with Hitchy before I put it on.”

There is also a plaque at the entrance to the players’ tunnel in memory of James.

In addition, his two former clubs – Bridlington Town and Barton Town – meet annually for the James Hitchcock Memorial Trophy to raise funds for the Victim Support National Homicide Service.

Stories about James are frequently told in the club house.

“You could hear him before you saw him because of his distinctive laugh,” adds Bulless.

Norfolk agrees. “His laugh was outrageously infectious. We all used to call it a cackle.”

Meanwhile, Bowsley says James “always had a smile on his face” and was “a bit of a practical joker.”

Talking about his ability as a goalkeeper, Bowsley adds: “He was a really good shot stopper and really good with his feet. He was at Leeds academy and then played the local leagues in Hull before going to Bridlington and then Barton.”

Bulless adds: “He always had a way at making you laugh. There’s always a couple of bags of sweets in the changing room, but Hitchy would always have his own bag.

“He wouldn’t tell anyone he had them. Then you’d hear the packet rattling just as the manager was trying to deliver a team talk – or was about to give a player a dressing down.

“Hitchy would be sat in the corner making all this noise eating a bag of sweets.”

James’ dad used to be a non-league referee but stopped so he could travel to watch his son play when he became semi-professional.

“I used to go to the Lake District, Newcastle, you name it,” says Chris. “I loved watching James play.

“He loved football from the first time he picked a ball up aged two or three. He never put it down. He just loved the game.”

Since James’ death, Chris has returned to officiating matches and was an assistant referee for Barton’s FA Cup tie with North Ferriby earlier this season.

“When James left us I thought, ‘right, what used to take my mind off things many years ago?’. It was refereeing and that’s what I went back to.

“It’s hard work at my age, but it does help when what’s happened is constantly on your mind.”

Meanwhile, April continues to keep James’ memory alive.

“He was just lovable,” she says about the man she met through mutual friends 12 years ago.

“He always had a smile on his face and had an infectious laugh. James lit up a room and he had so many friends who became part of our lives, part of our routine.

“When something like this happens, connections really form. We’re really fortunate because the football community and Barton Town, they’ve not forgotten about James.

“Everybody gets on with their lives and everybody moves on.

“But for me the football community, especially Barton Town, have been like: ‘let’s do stuff, let’s get you involved’.

‘They asked if it was ok if they put James’ name on the back of their shirts.

“Keeping his memory alive just speaks volumes. They were such a close group of friends.

“Freddie and I are fortunate that we haven’t lost that – and they’ve not lost touch with us either.

“I take Freddie with me to matches. I want to raise my little boy in a world where he knows about his dad.

“He’s got a good little right foot on him already. I want to make sure he is involved as much as his dad was.”

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