TWO Syrian refugees' passion for football is helping them settle into Clackmannanshire, after fleeing the horrors of their war-torn country.

Nephew and uncle Dalil and Neehad Othman are gearing up to become volunteer coaches at the Wasps Community Club in Alloa.

The refugees, who are of Kurdish ethnicity, arrived to Scotland over six months ago with their close family. Since the first flight landed at Glasgow last November, Scotland has welcomed 1,200 people who fled the violence, which has now been raging for nearly six years.

With the help of an interpreter, the Advertiser spoke to the duo who have had a passion for the sport since they were little boys, but never had the chance to play on a proper team.

Dalil, 26, used to be a lorry driver while Neehad, 30, was a gardener by trade and are originally from the Al-Hasakah Governorate, the far north-east corner of Syria.

According to the Human Rights Watch, Kurds have long faced routine discrimination and harassment by the Syrian Government, which would not even issue members of the ethnic group with an ID or a passport.

The two said that when the civil war broke out following the Arab Spring in 2011, they were told they would receive a number of benefits, like an official ID, if they joined the army and fought for Assad's regime.

Like many, they refused to get involved in the war.

At the time, they were in the capital city of Damascus, where Kurds became increasingly targeted and suppressed by the regime.

They fled north to Kurdish regions, where they were exposed to the growing influence of the so-called Islamic State. Fearing for their lives, they were forced to move to neighbouring Iraq – a country also left in ruins after recent conflicts.

Once there, they faced difficult conditions, living in a tent with little food and no means of transportation while being treated as outsiders. By 2014, nearly 1.8 million Iraqis and Syrians had fled there.

They eventually received help from the United Nations, but most of their family, including their parents, remain trapped across the region and have limited contact with the outside world. Dalil and Neehad told the Advertiser they fear for the wellbeing of those left behind, but in Iraq there is at least “relative safety”.

The Clacks refugees feel lucky they had the chance to come to Scotland and said there is a huge difference between now and then. They added they feel very much welcome and have not come across any negativity.

The Wasps Community Club gives more than 300 youngsters of all abilities the chance to play the game in an organised team and train so their talents can shine.

The club's Alex Brown said the two have already enjoyed a few games with amateur adult teams and he is hoping to find them a side they could play on permanently.

With the possibility of gaining a coaching qualification further down the line, Dalil and Neehad are also hoping to give something back by volunteering to help train youngsters at the club.

Meanwhile, Alex is also looking to get Syrian children involved at the team.

There is still a language barrier to be broken down, but this will give them a great opportunity to learn more English.

They are very happy to get involved and are already making contacts locally.

The two have long been fans of the game and developed a passion for it when they were children. However, they never had the chance to play properly back in Syria, they had very little time while working and explained how someone of Kurdish ethnicity would find it very hard to get on a squad.

But now they are reviving their childhood passions and dreams with the help of the Wee County community club.