A FOOTBALL-MAD teenager was buried as dozens of his friends and family wore Blackburn Rovers shirts bearing his name in a touching tribute.

And mourners at the funeral of Christopher Smith, 16, heard tales of the youngster's main loves - football, girls, fast food and cigarettes.

The St Wilfrid's CE High School and Technology College pupil, from Franklin Road, Blackburn, died on Christmas Eve - five weeks after being diagnosed a with a cancer which rapidly attacks the blood cells, known as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

More than 300 people packed into St Luke's Church, Blackburn, for the funeral service, which was dominated by the blue and white of Chris's beloved Blackburn Rovers.

As well as around 35 people wearing replica shirts, each with "Smithy 16" on the back, signifying Christopher's age, the coffin bore the club's crest.

There were also blue and white floral tributes, one spelling "son" and another in the shape of a Rovers shirt.

After the funeral, the family thanked all the people who attended, particularly those who wore football shirts.

The Rev David Dickinson, a family friend, gave the eulogy.

He talked about how Chris was prone to getting into trouble but had a "heart of gold" and was "massively popular."

He raised a laugh when he said that Chris would be in heaven looking down at the service with his favourite Big Mac in one hand and a takeaway pizza in the other.

Chris was diagnosed with the killer disease in November.

The cancer causes the bone marrow to make abnormal white blood cells, which fail to protect the body from infection and cause a patient's condition to deteriorate quickly.

But his family revealed how his chances of survival were cut to just over 20per cent as he was born with a genetic blood defect known as Philadelphia Chromosomes - which means his body did not destroy the defective cells.

Speaking last week, his devastated mum, Tracy Tomlinson, 35, a supermarket manager at Lidl, Accrington, said: "I just feel what has happened to my son is unreal and has happened to somebody else.

"He was my baby, my first child and I cannot believe he is no longer here."

Chris was a rap music fanatic with a love of gadgets and all things engineering.

At the funeral "Ghetto Gospel" by rapper 2 Pac was played.

Christopher also leaves a brother Adam, 11, and sister Becky, 15.

* Sign Christopher's book of condolence - see link below.