PARENTS of a postman turned Premiership player last night saw their son in an FA Cup tie after missing out last time because of car trouble.

Former Bishop Auckland player Jeff Smith was impressive as left wing-back the first time his new club Bolton Wanderers took on Sunderland, holding the away team to a 1-1 draw.

But parents Sandra and Terry Smith, of Middlesbrough, could not make it because their car broke down in the cold and they were stranded more than 100 miles away.

They were taking no chances last night and had three car-loads of family and friends to watch the match at the Stadium of Light, which was won by Sunderland 2-0.

But before the match, Mrs Smith had forecast a 2-1 win for the away team in the FA Cup tie and was so confident in Jeff's ability that she bet £5 at 16/1 he would score first.

She said: "I am very excited about watching him play. I always am when I watch football, but especially when it is my son. It was a bit unfortunate we couldn't watch it last time but this will make up for it."