Former Sheffield United man David Brooks hailed after landmark moment following cancer recovery

David Brooks, the former Sheffield United favourite, has thanked fans for their support after he scored his first goal for Wales since recovering from his cancer diagnosis. Brooks, now of Bournemouth, scored Wales’ second in victory in Latvia last night which kept their Euro 2024 qualification hopes alive.

Brooks was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma in 2021 and underwent fortnightly chemotherapy which left him “barely able to get out of bed”. He was given the all-clear seven months later and has now scored in his last three games for club and country after making his return to Premier League football.

Brooks’ joyous celebration, after his deft chip home late in injury time, showed the emotion he and his family will have faced throughout his battle and after the game he admitted: “This means a lot – the three-year journey that I’ve been on to get to this point has been a long one and obviously the fans have been amazing.

“The behind-the-scenes work that has gone on by people for me to even be on the pitch, never mind doing something I love, and scoring goals at international level is something special.”

Earlier a penalty from skipper Aaron Ramsey, his 100th career goal, had put Wales ahead before Brooks sealed three points and lifted some of the pressure on manager Rob Page, the former Blades defender under-fire after a drop-off in recent results since last winter’s World Cup.

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“It wasn’t easy to come here, a lot of teams have struggled,” Ramsey said. “So, to come and win with two goals is fantastic, and for Brooksy as well… it’s as good for him as it is for us. He’s so important for us and it’s nice for him to score. We’re just happy to have him back.”

Ramsey and others had backed Page during the build-up to a game many saw as pivotal in the manager’s tenure, and Page said of the players’ support: “It feels good, it feels powerful, absolutely - that’s a massive compliment to me from the players. I’ve just said to them, even the lads that have not played, they all play a part. There are no bad eggs in that changing room. Pressure doesn’t exist, it is created from outside influence. We did our best as staff to try to not let that penetrate the bubble and keep as calm as possible.”