A DIEHARD Middlesbrough FC fan is due to attend his 1,000th match after never missing a home game in his supporting life.
Self-professed “long suffering” Boro fan Alan Gregory will experience his millennium match at the Riverside on Monday when they play promotion hopefuls Huddersfield.
The 62-year-old attended his first match as a child when he was 10, and immediately fell in love with the Teesside team.
There’s been a cup final victory, promotions, and giant killings along the way but also devasting relegations and times on the wrong side of an upset.
Mr Gregory recalls the moment he was “hooked” on football and his Boro love affair started – a pre-season friendly at Ayersome Park against Benfica in 1971, with Nobby Stiles in the Boro lineup and Eusebio for the Portuguese side.
“As soon as I walked in and saw how green the grass was it left this impression on me for the rest of my life,” he said.
“My dad wasn’t mad keen but I pestered him and we started to go to matches when Jack Charlton was manager and we got promotion. That was a memorable season because they ran away with it. That’s when I started to go regularly.
“As I got older I went on my own and with friends, and it just snowballed from there.”
Since then, Boro-mad Mr Gregory, from Yarm, has experienced UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup finals.
But it was the Riverside which played host to probably his favourite, and most memorable, game – Middlesbrough 4-2 Steaua Bucharest, where Massimo Maccarone's 89th-minute goal swung the tie in their favour after an astonishing comeback.
Remarkably, he has managed to avoid any illnesses which have prevented him from using his season ticket and despite games played behind closed doors during coronavirus lockdowns he still watched them virtually.
Holidays are always planned with he fixture list in mind and often take place during the summer break, while family weddings and other important events have been deemed not as important as a Saturday 3pm game.
He said: “I’ve missed family weddings, which has caused a few arguments along the way. I’ve never had any serious illnesses and I have still managed to get to the football.”
Mr Gregory’s dedication to supporting Boro was even recognised by being awarded England’s best fan by Carlsberg in 2007.
He’s sat in almost every stand at the Riverside but currently sits in the North Stand with his son.
Middlesbrough FC have offered him four seats inside the Riverside’s hospitality suites for Monday’s game to mark the occasion.
Like thousands of others, he remains confident about Boro’s promotion hopes and the rest of the season but is adamant his side need to turn around their poor home form and win their crucial final games to stand any chance of returning to the Premier League.
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