West Brom players organise surprise after joy at young Declan's Christmas cards

Declan Langford blew the Albion players away last Friday when he handed every single one of them a Christmas card in the Bramall Lane changing rooms before kick-off.

But the five-year-old gave favourite player Gibbs a special hand-made card with pictures he’d drawn himself that is now standing in pride of place on the left-back’s mantelpiece.

Gibbs, who remembered Declan from a signing session at The Hawthorns last season, gave the young fan a signed away shirt before going out onto the pitch and scoring the winner.

And now the players are organising a special Christmas surprise for the youngster.

“It was a fairytale ending,” said dad Shaun, who accompanied his son into the changing room.

“He won a competition to be a mascot, but he’s besotted by Gibbsy, he absolutely idolises him.

"He’s his biggest fan and Gibbs knows it as well. When I told him he was going to be a mascot, he said ‘can I do Gibbs a Christmas card?’ I said ‘of course you can.’

“But then he said ‘what about the rest of the players?’ So each player and all the subs got a Christmas card and he also wrote a letter to Darren Moore to say thank you.

“On Wednesday he said ‘I’ve done something else, I’ve drawn Gibbs a picture of a snowman’ and he put that in the card.

“When we got there (Albion kitman) Jacko grabbed Declan and took him into the changing room.

“Darren Moore said ‘so you’re Declan then, who’s your favourite player?’ He told him it was Gibbs, and Darren said ‘Gibbsy might have something for you’.

“He went round all the players and gave them cards, they signed programmes and took photos and then when he went over to Gibbs.

“Gibbs said ‘I can’t believe it, I’m overwhelmed by the card. That’s going on my mantelpiece when I get home tonight. It’s a really nice touch.’”

Declan walked onto the pitch with captain Jake Livermore, and there was a touching moment when the midfielder was spotted warming up the five-year-old’s hands with his own while they were standing in the cold waiting for the handshakes.

But it is Friday’s matchwinner Gibbs, who shared a photo of his card on Instagram afterwards, who is Declan’s hero.

“It all started about a year ago,” said Shaun, from West Bromwich. “He met Gibbs at an autograph session and he said ‘Daddy I like that man’. Ever since then he's loved him.

“I manage Silverdale youth teams, and he’ll be joining soon. He wants to be a left-back!

“He hasn’t shut up about it. I’m just gobsmacked and speechless at what they’ve done.

“Even Darren Moore, just before the game kicked off, I went into the technical area and shook his hand and said ‘thank you so much’.

"He said ‘it was a pleasure, your lad’s a star’. He had a photo with every player. He had long conversations with Darren, Gibbsy and Brunty.”

Declan’s cards made a big impression on the Albion team, and now they’ve planned a Christmas surprise for the Hall Green Primary School pupil.

“Apparently the lads were overwhelmed by him,” said Shaun. “They’ve got something planned for him but I’ve not got the slightest idea what’s coming.

"I’ve just been told Santa’s going to sort something out for him!”