A LITTLE Blackburn Rovers fan who captured hearts with his broken-hearted reaction to the news Jordan Rhodes had left the club has had a special meeting with his hero.

Maxwell Rutherford, aged five, was filmed by his dad Carl reacting with sobs of anguish to the devastating news that striker Rhodes had been sold to Middlesbrough for £9M at the end of January.

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The clip, of Maxwell, who lives in Lower Darwen with Carl, mum Laura and three younger brothers, went viral on Facebook with fans identifying with the trials and tribulations and of being a supporter.

A Middlesbrough supporters' group, 'Boro Real Fans Believe In Dreams', were touched by the video and invited Maxwell and Carl to the Riverside Stadium for the game with Blackburn, which by a twist of fate was Rhodes' first as a Boro player, just five days after the transfer.

Carl, said: "Maxwell is Rovers crazy, we have season tickets in the Riverside stand and he never stops singing and shouting.

"To be honest when I filmed Maxwell when Rhodes left I was was feeling exactly the same but I was just better at hiding it.

"I put it online and had 4,000 likes in no time.

"The Boro fans got in touch and were fantastic, they wanted Maxwell to enjoy the game.

"They paid for our tickets and invited us into their family area before the game."

However, the the biggest surprise came when Carl was contacted by Rhodes on social media.

Carl, said: "He got in touch and told me he'd seen the clip and wanted to meet Maxwell.

"I was told to contact a steward and he would meet us after the game.

"Sure enough we were shown to the reception area and Jordan turned up with a signed shirt and had a chat with him.

"It's the only time I've seen Maxwell lost for words, he was speechless, but Jordan was brilliant with him.

"He didn't have to do that and I think it shows him as a terrific bloke as well as a great player."