A DEVOTED Cherries fan battling leukaemia was given a special reception at Saturday’s game – the first match he has been able to attend in over two years.

Walking out onto the pitch to place the match ball on the plinth, Dan Hall was welcomed back to Vitality Stadium with a round of applause from his fellow AFC Bournemouth fans.

The 29-year-old father-of-one said he felt “very proud” to watch his team play a Premier League game for the first time.

Afterwards, midfielder Harry Arter gave him a signed shirt.

“It’s really good to be back – it’s been just under two-and-a-half years since I’ve been to the stadium due to all the chemotherapy and various other complications,” he said.

“I got quite a reception going onto the pitch – they called out my name and showed some photos of me on the screen. Everyone clapped.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen them in the Premier League. It was a very proud moment – I had a lump in my throat. I’ve been a fan since I was 14 years old.”

Dan, from Ringwood, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in October 2014. Despite numerous rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, the disease has failed to respond to NHS treatments.

Last November, a family member set up a fundraising page to raise money for a non-NHS-funded drug called Sorafenib, which costs over £4,000 a month.

The drug is already used to treat liver and kidney cancers by blocking the enzymes, proteins and blood vessels that cancer cells need to grow. Recent trials have shown the tablets can also be effective in the treatment of blood cancers.

Following an initial trial period, doctors suggested Dan should take the drug until April 2018, meaning he had to set a new fundraising goal of £58,000.

During the course of his treatment, he has spent many months in hospital, away from his three-year-old daughter, Madison-Skye, and wife, Kirsty.

As well as spending time with family and friends, he is now hoping to attend more AFC Bournemouth games.

“I’m going to be the twelfth man at the Brighton and Hove game, with Jacob Buckett, Ethan Burney, and Felix Brown as mascots. We’ll get executive seating and meet the players before the game.”

The fundraising appeal can be found at gofundme.com/dan-halls-medical-treatment-fund