A boy who was silent for a fortnight after being knocked off his bike by a motorcycle, spoke for the first time when Oxford United players visited him in hospital.

The 11-year-old child, who has not been named, has been at the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Headington, since the accident left him dumb-struck.

But when the footballers toured the children's wards earlier this week, the boy whispered his first words when he asked to talk to the players.

His wish came true when strikers David Oldfield and Manny Omoyinmi sat by his bedside and presented him with autographs from the whole squad.

Mr Oldfield said: "He's a nice boy and the club have said they will try to get him a ticket to watch a home match when he's better.

"When we do a hospital visit like this, it makes us all appreciate how fortunate we are. It's the same with our team-mate David Waterman's little boy having cancer."

Nicky Cato, a staff nurse at the JR adolescent unit, said: "The Oxford United squad really made an effort to spend time with the boy.

"The players were brilliant with the patients."