A BOURNEMOUTH mum has spoken of her delight after winning tickets to see Cherries take on Crystal Palace at home on Boxing Day.

Claire Ratty won two tickets to the Barclays Premiere League game through the ongoing Daily Echo/Carlsberg competition, and she plans to take her 16-year-old son Yiannis, who was once himself a player in the club’s academy.

“We are ecstatic,” said Claire, 53, who lives in Coniston Avenue, Bear Cross.

“Money is a bit tight at the moment and we haven’t been able to go and see home games every week as we used too. We used to try and get to as many away games as we could too.

“It is a nice Christmas present for my son who has been a supporter for a long time.”

Miss Ratty said they were hoping the club’s momentum could be sustained over the Christmas period after back-to-back wins over Chelsea, Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion.

“Hopefully we will win on Saturday,” she said.

“They are holding their own and I hope they can stay up.”