Match of the Day crew make Dougie's day at Shrews FA Cup clash
Poorly youngster Dougie Barker-Jones never misses a showing of Match of the Day – so it was a dream come true when he got to meet the stars of the show.
Dougie, from Bishop’s Castle, got to meet his footballing heroes before he watched Shrewsbury Town’s FA Cup clash with West Ham.
The five-year-old was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was three-and-a-half, and his treatment will continue until he is seven.
His mother, Lindsay, 35, said the Bishop’s Castle Primary School student was in hospital when Shrewsbury Town manager Paul Hurst visited in December, but narrowly missed the visit.
“We were in hospital having chemo on December 19, the day that manager Paul Hurst came to the hospital and we missed him as he came in the afternoon when we had left,” she said.
“So we contacted him and he asked if we wanted to go and meet the players before the game on Sunday, so we did.”
Lindsay and her husband Gareth, 38, took Dougie and eight-year-old Reuben to meet the players before the game.
Lindsay, a hairdresser, added: “Dougie’s a big football fan, him and his older brother Reuben, they’re big Shrewsbury Town fans.
“We met Paul and he was lovely, he chatted away to the boys.
“The boys then met the players, some were in the changing rooms some were in the lounge, we got some photographs with them and they signed their tops.”
The family were then led around the football pitch near to the studio where they could see the presenters through the window.
She said: “We then had a wonder around the football pitch and went around by the studio that had been set up and we could see Alan Shearer in the window and we waved so he beckoned the boys in. There was quite a bit of excitement then.
“We walked around and were led through into the studio and there was Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright.
“The boys had a chat with them and they asked the boys who was going to win, it was really nice. They had a few photos too.”
