A LITTLE Cherries fan with cerebral palsy is in desperate need of an operation which will improve his ability to walk.

Jacob Buckett, four, from Canford Heath, finds it hard to put his feet flat on the ground due to his condition and as a result his hip bones are starting to come out of the socket.

The football-mad youngster is currently in a lot of pain - but according to mum Amanda he still always finds a way to smile.

His family hope a selective dorsal rhizotomy, to be carried out at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, will make it easier for Jacob to get around.

The operation, not available on the NHS, could restore the function in his legs by as much as 75 per cent, the family has been told.

However, it should ideally be carried out before his fifth birthday in October - and with intensive physiotherapy is estimated to cost around £36,000.

Many youngsters who have undergone the procedure in Britain and the US, many of whom have forms of spasticity related to cerebral palsy, have seen their ability to walk improved and aches and pains reduced.

“It’s really important that he has this operation before his fifth birthday,” said mum Amanda, 36.

“His hips are now starting to come out of their sockets as a result of his leg spasms and the fact he can’t place them on the floor properly.

“Unfortunately this means he is in a lot of pain and has also had to stop playing football for the Ability Counts team.

“That I think has been the hardest thing for him because he loves football so much and just wants to be able to play for Harry Arter’s academy like his brothers.”

Jacob, who is an AFC Bournemouth super fan, got the chance to take the field with his beloved team in October as the mascot.

He got the chance to have a kick about on the pitch alongside dad, Kevin, look around the dressing room and accompany team captain Simon Francis and the rest of the players out of the tunnel at the start of the match against Hull City.

The fundraising campaign has already raised £16,000 - with special thanks to a £5,000 anonymous donation and help from the charity Ethan Burney’s Wishes.

“We still have a long way to go but we are determined to make sure Jacob gets this operation,” added mum-of-five Amanda. “We asked the doctor what will happen if we don’t raise the money and they said that he would probably be in a wheelchair for life. It’s a big operation, which will see us having to stay in hospital for 21 days.Amanda said that in the past, people often believe that he is a perfectly healthy little boy, despite him travelling in a pushchair, due to the fact that he speaks well and his learning development is at the same level as other children of his age.

“The public have just been amazing. It just makes me think that we might be able to meet this target,” she added.

Go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/amanda-buckett.