Bournemouth's Brooks receives standing ovation as he makes comeback after cancer battle

The 25-year-old received a standing ovation from the Aston Villa fans as he came on in the second half of the Cherries' 3-0 away defeat in the Midlands.

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Brooks announced in October 2021 he had been diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma.

To the delight of the football community, the Wales international revealed that he is cancer-free at the end of last season, before he embarked on a lengthy rehabilitation.

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He returned to Bournemouth's matchday squad for the first time in 525 days in last week's 1-0 win over Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium.

The former Manchester United target was again named on the bench for the trip to Villa Park, with Gary O'Neil deciding to bring him on in the 78th minute.

In lovely scenes, both sets of supporters rose to their feet to applaud the return of Brooks.

Unfortunately for the visitors, Brooks couldn't inspire Bournemouth to claim a result as Villa eased to a 3-0 win.

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Speaking ahead of the match, O'Neil confirmed that Brooks was in contention to feature, as he said: "Everyone is also delighted for David Brooks and his family.

"He's itching, but he's sensibly itching. He knows there's things to do, but he'll be involved again tomorrow."

Bournemouth have stood by Brooks during his horrific ordeal and even rewarded him with a new long-term contract last summer.

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And Brooks will now be looking to repay their faith with the forward hoping to contribute more in their quest to stay in the Premier League.