A schoolboy whose life was saved by his mum’s internet search for his symptoms when he mysteriously fell ill will be one of Bradford City’s mascots in their Cup semi-final next month.

The nine-year-old, who beat a brain tumour, is counting down the days until he escorts the team on to the Valley Parade pitch on January 8 for the first leg of the Capital One Cup clash with Premiership Aston Villa.

His dad and fellow City fan Andy Turton got in touch with the club after the quarter-final win against Arsenal.

Mr Turton said: “We thought it would be a bit of a long shot for Jake to be one of their mascots because there would be so many others wanting to do it but we thought we’d give it a go anyway. he’s been a big fan since he was just a tot.

“They said yes and we were thrilled. Jake can’t wait, he’s very excited.”

Steven Horsfall, Bradford City’s sales and marketing executive, said: “We are happy Jake has come through it and that he is well enough to come and be one of our mascots at the match.

“We had 22 mascots at the Arsenal match and are still in talks about the logistics of how many we’ll have in January but Jake will definitely be one of them.”

Survival had been touch and go for Jake, who was only diagnosed with the malignant tumour, which had spread to his spine, after his mum Cath carried out her internet search.

Alarm bells had started ringing when he kept being sick and, at one stage after the tumour was found, he was given only a week to live. But thanks to pioneering treatment he survived against the odds.

He is now back at primary school and, although he has had to learn to walk and talk again, he is doing well and back to his “cheeky-self”, said his mum from the family’s Northowram home.

At first Jake’s parents had thought he was just playing up to avoid school, but an internet search of his symptoms revealed the real reason for his illness.

He underwent brain surgery and was in a coma for ten weeks and had to endure months of chemotherapy.

A week before treatment was due to begin that would have given him a 30 per cent chance of surviving over the next three years, his oncologist at Leeds General Infirmary had attended a meeting of UK specialists where it was agreed an Italian treatment, the Milan Protocol – which has a 73 per cent survival rate over five years – could be used in this country.

As part of that treatment, a regime of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Jake had to have general anaesthetic twice a day for almost five weeks.