SCHOOLBOY Stanley Cherrington has proved to be a safe pair of hands - keeping hold of his GB Olympic footballer cousin's goal keeping gloves.

The seven-year-old, of Aberyscir, near Brecon was given the gloves by cousin Jack Butland immediately after he starred for the Team GB Olympic football side in their opening game against Senegal.

Stanley had travelled to Manchester United's famed 'Theatre of Dreams', Old Trafford with grandparents John and Gill Butland, of Battle, near Brecon, to see 19-year-old Jack play in Britain's first Olympic football game since 1960, in front of a sell out crowd including 10 members of the Butland family.

Gran Gill said: "We're extremely proud of Jack, we've followed him closely and he's wanted it so much. It's just so wonderful to see his dream come true.

"After the game he hopped over the barrier and gave his gloves to our youngest grandson Stanley who was lost for words, he was really so chuffed about it."

While facing Senegal was Jack's first taste of Olympic action, it was a second Olympic football game in as many days for Stanley and Gill, who admits that she is rapidly becoming a football fan.

Twenty four hours earlier Gill had taken Cradoc Primary School pupil Stanley and a school friend to watch the Great Britain women's team beat New Zealand 1-0 in the opening fixture of Olympics at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

"I took my grandson and his friend to Cardiff as they'd got tickets from Cradoc school.

"Since Jack has started playing football it has been a step learning curve for me and I've had to learn all about it and I'd never been to a football stadium before. It was very impressive and great that the girls beat New Zealand."

Gill added husband John is very proud of 6'5" tall and 14 stone Jack's achievements in the game and said sporting prowess runs in the family as both John and Jack's dad Matthew were accomplished rugby players in their native Somerset.

Jack first hit the headlines earlier this summer when he was called up as a late addition to England's squad for the European Championships, despite not having made a first team appearance for his Championship club, Birmingham City.

He had impressed with performances for the Under 21s side and on loan at League Two side Cheltenham Town.

However Gill and John, who run the Woodland Park Shooting Ground at Talachddu, near Brecon, were unable to take in any league fixtures due to their commitments at the shooting ground on Saturdays.

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