'It's a dream come true' - Jack Smith reads out the teams for Wolves' win over Cardiff
"It's a dream come true," - a man who was given a new Black Country accent after he lost his voice in a car accident has read out the names of his favourite footballers in front of thousands of fans.
Jack Smith was invited by Wolves to read out the team names before the side's 2-0 win against Cardiff at Molineux.
The 22-year-old even met some of his favourite Wolves stars before the game, with a video tweeted out by the official Wolves account showing him meeting Belgian midfielder Leander Dendoncker, youngster Morgan Gibbs-White and Portuguese star Ruben Neves.
Donning a Nuno scarf and a Wolves top, the wheels on Jack's wheelchair were also customised with images of the team and manager.
His mother, Jo Smith, aged 49, said: "We've had some fabulous responses and being able to come to the Wolves is amazing, we have got season tickets but this for Jack is just the best.
"It's just brilliant, they're an amazing club, they seem to do everything they can to help.
"Jacks' been ecstatic about reading the names out. It's a dream come true, and to have his real voice is just even better.
"He likes Neves and Jimenez, he has a few to be fair.
"Jack is loving it, being this celebrity that he is, for a very short time but even so, he deserves it.
"Jack smiles everyday, he gives us the strength to keep going, he amazes us."
The family, originally from Wombourne, now live in Woodseaves, near Stafford, but when Jack was only seven-years-old he lost the ability to speak and lost the use of his legs and left arm after a serious car accident in Telford in 2004.
He was airlifted to hospital after being knocked down by a taxi at a crossing on Castlefields Way - leaving him in intensive car for 19 days, before he spent six months at Birmingham Children's Hospital and nine months in a rehab centre in Surrey.
Since then, another Black Country man, Jack McBride, has recorded around 650 phrases for Jack's communication device, giving him a local accent, instead of the 'boring' voice the device used to have.
The device had to have the footballer's names pre-programmed on it, with captain Conor Coady's voice proving to be the most difficult.
Jo added: "Can you believe that out of all the names that it was Conor Coady that he couldn't say, I've had to put a space between some of the letters just to get it to sound right, it's perfect now though."
The day that Jack was chosen to read out the names couldn't have come on a better day, as it was also the charity collection for 'Rachael's day', after the late Rachael Heyhoe Flint.
His father, Andy Ball, aged 48, said: "It's been hectic over the past few weeks, phone's going off all the time, Jo has taken more calls than me, while I've spoken to the Express & Star she's dealt with other people - my phone was even going when I was being audited by my boss.
"Rachael Heyhoe Flint, whose sadly passed away, had a lot to do with Jack, she invited him to the training ground for his 18th birthday, and quite often she helped him meet the players, so it's brilliant that it's still carried on.
"Jack couldn't wait to read the names out."
