BRAVE Bradley Lowery is over the moon after his penalty was given Match of the Day's Goal of the Month title.

The five-year-old, from Blackhall Colliery, County Durham, scored when a mascot at Sunderland’s match against Chelsea in December.

He was not shortlisted for the title - which is voted for by members of the public - but was given joint honours with Manchester United star Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The young Sunderland fan, who is battling neuroblastoma, scored the goal against Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic in front of more than 40,000 supporters at the Stadium of Light.

Gemma Lowery, his mum, said he was “over the moon”

She added: “We can't actually believe this and would like to thank every single one of you for your support. This is a very special moment for us and something we can treasure forever.”

The moment was also listed by former Newcastle and England star Alan Shearer as one of his footballing moments of the year.

The family has just returned from a trip to London, when they visited Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour thanks to Sunderland AFC.

The youngster also visited Buckingham Palace, where he made a wish for "the nasties" to go away.

They are hoping to go to Disneyland Paris this month before he starts another round of treatment at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle on January 16.

In an online post, Mrs Lowery said: “We will be funding this treatment with the money that has been raised for him as this is a trial that is currently in America and not yet in the UK.

“We are delighted that Bradley's consultant has agreed to give him this treatment instead of having to travel for it as the staff from the RVI are absolutely amazing and I wouldn't want anyone else looking after him.

“We are very nervous about this new treatment as we not sure if Bradley's body is strong enough to cope with it and there are some awful side effects but we need to try and miracles can happen.”

Before Christmas Bradley's family was told the treatment would not save his life because the tumour has grown.

He has been undergoing treatment since the summer, when the cancer returned after a period of remission.