The brave 14-year-old has had the toughest of years, having been told in April 2022 that he would not be able to play football again after being diagnosed with Ostersocoma, a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer that affects on average 35 children a year in the UK.

Luton-lad Charlie loved playing as a midfielder for Crawley Green and then Aspley Guise before having major surgery to remove a bone tumour and his knee last August, with a prosthetic knee fitted and a titanium bar inserted into his femur.

After completing his chemotherapy through the winter months, the Harlington Upper schoolboy was well enough to travel to Sheffield United in March and get back among his fellow fans celebrating Carlton Morris’ goal as the Hatters beat the Championship runners-up 1-0.

Yesterday he came along to the pre-play-off final media afternoon at the Kenny to meet the 20-goal top scorer and some of the players he will be leading out under The Arch, along with the manager, who said: “It was fantastic to meet Charlie and for Carlton, Pelly, Ethan and Tom to have a chat with him so he’s at ease with everything for Saturday. We are thrilled he’s going to lead us out.

“Some things are more important in life than football, and your health is one of them. Charlie’s been through so much in the past year and this is reward for his bravery, the hard work he’s putting in at school and to get fit, and his constant support for Luton Town. We hope we can all make it a truly memorable day for him at Wembley.”

Charlie is from a long line of Luton fans and his dad, Mark Smith, is a legend in local football having played for Barton Rovers, Brache Sparta and managed Crawley Green, while his grandad, Colin, worked at Kenilworth Road on a matchday for 40 years.

We hope that Charlie and his family all have a great day and we are proud to have him leading the team out. Thank you Charlie!