A BRAVE Hampshire schoolboy chosen for a starring role at the FA Cup final missed the first half of the match after he was lost by the stewards guiding him to his seat.

Eight-year-old Jack Belger was left wandering around a concourse under one of the Millennium Stadium's stands as Saints took on Arsenal just yards away.

The lad, picked for his courage in facing open heart surgery on four separate occasions, was forced to use his own initiative and find an official to help reunite him with his mum.

Sue Belger had looked on with pride as Jack walked out of the tunnel hand in hand with Saints striker Brett Ormerod in the build-up to the kick-off.

When he failed to reappear she rang the person in charge of the escorts in a panic only to find Jack was being minded by a Football Association official.

Jack was eventually shown to his seat ten minutes into the second half with Saints already trailing to Robert Pires' winning goal.

A spokesman at the FA admitted the organisation had been responsible for looking after the escorts but would not comment further until he had looked into the allegations.

As reported in Friday's Daily Echo, the Hythe Primary School pupil was chosen as one of the young escorts to walk out with Saints and Arsenal.

The youngsters were taken off the pitch and kept in groups to be reunited with their parents or guardians by stewards, but the steward looking after Jack left him behind.

Mrs Belger, who is from the Waterside, said: "He was just wandering around the concourse expecting someone to come for him, but no one came and he was there with his bag and his ticket under the stands.

"He eventually found someone in uniform and said he was a mascot and he was lost and he was taken to a lady from the FA who looked after him.

She added: "Overall, he had a wonderful day with the good overriding the bad."

Jack was born with a faulty aortic valve and the most recent of his major surgeries was in January. But he has come through his cup anxiety with no ill effects.