A FOOTBALL fanatic celebrated beating cancer in style — by meeting his heroes as mascot for the day.

Brave Ted Rice, aged seven, of Darlington Close, Tottington, discovered last month he had won a three-and-a-half-year battle against leukaemia.

As a reward for his fighting spirit, parents Philip and Sarah arranged for Ted to be mascot for his beloved Hull City against Manchester City on Saturday — and his five-year-old sister Pippa joined him too.

Phillip, aged 37, moved from Hull to Bury five years ago.

He said Ted fell in love with football as they watched matches on television during his hospital treatment.

Philip added: “As chemotherapy made Ted more and more ill, he lost the ability to walk, so we agreed he would be a goalkeeper. They are now his favourite players.”

At the game, Ted met Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart and got a signed a shirt from Hull City stopper Allan McGregor.

One touching moment came when Ted bumped into Hull City defender Liam Rosenior.

Philip said: “Ted was a mascot at a match a few years ago and was in a wheelchair at the time. Liam came over to him and treated him brilliantly. Then on Saturday, Liam recognised Ted straight away and took him into the dressing room to meet all the players. It was a day Ted will never forget.”

The family are organising a party for 150 people who have helped them in recent years and have raised £250,000 for children’s cancer charities. “It was been an ordeal for us all and there were sometimes entire months when all our family wouldn’t be in the same room together as we would always be at hospital,” said Philip.

He added: “But we have such amazing support from our neighbours. The number of times we have come home to washed clothes and cooked food has been breathtaking — someone even made us Christmas dinner.”

Philip thanked staff at St Hilda’s Pre School in Tottington and Holly Mount RC Primary School in Greenmount.