Terminally ill footy fan's dreams come true

Sunderland and Chelsea fans united yesterday to show support for terminally ill five-year-old Bradley Lowery, who suffers from a rare type of cancer.

Bradley was the guest of honour and scored a penalty past Chelsea substitute goalkeeper Asmir Begovic before leading out the Sunderland side in the arms of striker Jermain Defoe.

Bradley's Big Night At The SoL

BRADLEY'S BIG NIGHT ❤️ Bradley lowery's fight against neuroblastoma has captured the hearts of football fans around the world. Watch as he takes to the pitch for #SAFC in a special evening at the Stadium of Light.

Posted by Sunderland AFC on Thursday, December 15, 2016

The young Black Cats fan, who was wearing a Sunderland home shirt donated by rivals Newcastle United, then saw his name emblazoned on a shirt on the scoreboard, with fans of both sides sharing a chorus of "There's only one Bradley Lowery" in the fifth minute of the match.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Sunderland manager David Moyes had said: "Bradley came to the training ground yesterday and we had a great time with him.

"He was running around the gym, up and down the stairs and with a football, but he really enjoyed having the boxing clubs on!

"He's a strong little boy let me tell you, so we're trying to give him everything we possibly can to make sure he has a nice Christmas."

A campaign is now gathering pace for Lowery to win the Premier League's goal of the month competition.

Congrats @Bradleysfight 💙 already the same number of goals as me hahaha!!! 😂😂🙈 Hope you will be the PL goal of the month too 🙏 #Respect 🙏 https://t.co/AaaxdG0L2E

— Michy Batshuayi (@mbatshuayi) December 15, 2016

Let's help Bradley Lowery win @PremierLeague Goal of the Month! ⚽️

Use #BradleyLoweryForGoalOfTheMonth and RT!

https://t.co/PlUFNqPf0t

— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) December 15, 2016

Bradley was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 2013. Having initially gone into remission after multiple courses of chemotherapy, Bradley was diagnosed as having relapsed in July of this year. His family have been trying to fund-raise £700,000 needed for Bradley to receive treatment for the rare condition abroad but his condition has deteriorated to the stage where that is no longer an option.

Everton donated £200,000 towards his treatment back in September, and Sunderland are sending their young fan to 'The Making of Harry Potter' studio tour in London as a Christmas present.

Meanwhile Liv 'n' G - a sister-sister double act from Hartlepool - have composed a charity single for Bradley aiming to crack the Christmas charts.

Bradley has been inundated with cards and presents in the run-up to Christmas and has said a big 'thank you' in a video posted on the Facebook page that supports his cause.

Bradley would like to thank everyone for all the cards presents and money that have been sent. You have made his day 👍

Posted by The Bradley Lowery Foundation on Friday, December 9, 2016