A young Ukrainian refugee forced to flee the war in his country had a wish come true when he led Gillingham out at Priestfield yesterday.

Daniel Lysak, who has been taken in by a Folkestone family along with his mother Yana, enjoyed a special day at the League One clash with Fleetwood and was given the chance to meet the team before the match.

The 11-year-old and his mum are now living with Gills fan Malcolm Bell and his family after arriving in the UK earlier this month.

Mr Bell had initially hoped Daniel would be given a shout-out at the game, but once the 11-year-old's story spread two staff members at the club were soon in touch to organise the special experience.

"It's just a new world he’s experiencing and it’s just great to be part of that for him to be fair," the 51-year-old host said.

"They knew it was his first ever football match, live football match, so they just wanted to make his day special."

Daniel has been partly 'settled' thanks to a new friend and fellow Gillingham fan, Mr Bell’s 10-year-old son Freddie.

Mr Bell said the way the club reacted to welcoming Daniel has “restored my faith in human nature”.

"The fan base have been so supportive, it’s made me a proud Gillingham supporter," he said.

"And how the UK have reacted to the Ukrainians – I’m even more proud of because so few have offered anything less than massive support.

"The great thing is you can see that Yana and Daniel feel that they've been accepted everywhere we go."

Gillingham had to settle for a point from their relegation battle against Fleetwood after the game - played in front of a bumper bank holiday crowd - finished goalless.

The club attracted a season's best crowd after slashing ticket prices and there are plans more of the same next season.