WHILE Town’s play-off final defeat at Wembley on Saturday prompted tears of disappointment on the pitch and in the stands, the emotion for one player went far deeper than just 90 minutes of football.

Lecsinel Jean-Francois had been battling to come to terms with the tragic news that the body of his 11-year-old sister Erika, who went missing in the Haiti earthquake in January, had been finally been found.

Having kept the news almost entirely to himself, the defender performed heroically at Charlton in the play-off semi-final second leg, before returning to France where he and his family buried Erika.

And then, just a week after the funeral, Jean-Francois put his personal grief to the back of his mind once more in order to line up for Swindon in their winner-takes-all clash with Millwall.

Chief executive Nick Watkins explained: “I have been aware for some weeks now that the body of Lecsinel’s sister was finally found in the wreckage after many weeks of uncertainty.

“It was clearly very sad for him to have to come to terms with what unfortunately everybody felt was inevitable.

“He kept it very quiet and didn’t want anybody to be aware of the situation apart from Danny Wilson and myself, and we helped him with organising the repatriation of the body.

“I would imagine Lecsinel suppressed many of his emotions because of the importance of the play-off final and didn’t want to put his own situation on the rest of the squad. But when the final whistle went at Wembley and we hadn’t made it, then all the sadness came to the fore.

“I have no doubt at all though that he did his sister’s memory proud.”

Watkins paid tribute to the 23-year-old’s courage over the past four months, and promised that the club will do whatever they can to help Jean-Francois during his period of mourning.

“He is a very quiet, reserved character who doesn’t engage in banter like some of the other more colourful members of the squad,” said the chief executive.

“Lecsinel gets on with what he has to do and will have one or two friends who he will confide in, but he doesn’t show his emotions to the outside world.

“He has come through a number of very trying weeks with massive dignity and huge maturity.

“At this current moment in time Swindon Town is his family and we will give him all the love, help and support he needs.”