Daniel Strong, the five-year-old son of Buckie Thistle goalkeeper Darren, will lead the team out in Saturday's Scottish Cup tie against Brechin City at Victoria Park after the youngster spent three months in hospital and had five operations to successfully remove a brain tumour.

Daniel has lost the sight in his right eye after the optic nerve had to be cut during one of the operations and, during another procedure, the youngster suffered a stroke.

But proud father Darren said that, after weeks in a wheelchair at home in Elgin, his brave young son will walk out on to the Buckie pitch on Saturday.

Darren said: "Someone will have to tell Brechin the walk to the centre circle may take a wee while longer because Daniel is determined he will walk on to the pitch as mascot - and I'm sure he will.

"Daniel had been unwell for about six months last year and in October he was taken to hospital in Aberdeen and diagnosed with a brain tumor.  It was a terrible time for my wife Caroline, myself and also the rest of the family.

"After a week in the high-dependency ward in Aberdeen, he was transferred to Edinburgh.  We were told that without an operation Daniel would die - there was no decision to make.

"The surgery had never been done before.

"But it proved to be more successful than anyone ever thought as they managed to remove 95% of the tumour.

"It meant after the operation Daniel would be allowed to recover without having to undergo chemotherapy straight away.

"He will now have three-monthly MRI scans and if the tumour did start to grow he would then start to receive chemotherapy to protect the eyesight he has left.

"Daniel is totally blind in his right eye as they had to cut the optic nerve to get the tumour out.  He is coping brilliantly but the medical staff said he had probably been blind in the eye for quite some time due to the tumour and had learned to cope with it."

Strong added: "He is now back at school for an hour-and-a-half a day and is doing really well.  He did have a teacher in Edinburgh sick children's hospital and while he was in Aberdeen.  They both said that he would cope well back at school and they were right.

"He is very keen and very determined and just loves being around other kids.

"The day of Daniel's fourth operation I was by his bed.  It was the day Buckie won 2-0 at Bo'ness United and the squad got together before the game and sent me a text saying they would win the game for Daniel - and they did.

"Martin Charlesworth scored both our goals and dedicated them to the wee man.

"It was very special as Martin is Daniel's favourite Buckie player - even before his dad."

Story by Dave Edwards Press & Journal