Reds superfan has seen it all - quite literally!
IF Jose Mourinho thought United’s fixture schedule for September was too much, he should take a look at superfan Peter Bolton’s match diary.
The 61-year-old, from Timperley, went to 16 United games last month alone – taking in action from the first team, U23s and U18s.
While there will be plenty of fans who made the trips to the seven firstteam games, there aren’t many who took in that much match action in four weeks. Why does he do it – and how does he fit in 120 games a season?
Peter said: “Watching the reserves or U23s as they are now isn’t a new thing for me. I first starting going to Old Trafford when I was six and we would watch the first-team one week and the youth team the next.
“It’s not just a new thing that I go to watch the youth team – I watched them back in the ‘60s and the ‘80s.
“I remember watching Mark Hughes and Norman Whiteside at youth team level, then I watched Norman make his debut at Brighton and it just gives you an extra buzz when you see a youth team player, a proper United player, who has come through the system, getting a game.”
Just last month Peter went to Barcelona (for the legends game), Derby, Stoke, Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and Moscow – and that’s without counting the seven home games he managed to fit in.
But the retired taxi driver has altered his lifestyle to fit around United.
“When I worked before I was selfemployed, I used to take half days off to travel and watch United, and most of my holidays were taken for United here, there and everywhere.
“Then they started to be a bit funny and made me take my holidays in weeks rather than half days so that’s when I started looking for another job.
“Then I realised the only way it was going to work is if I work for myself.
“I became a black cab driver, which meant I could fit in my job around going to watch United.”
And it’s not just competitive games he attends. He has travelled to eight of the past nine pre-season tours, including to Australia for just three days for a game before flying on to Japan.
And even after clocking up hundreds of European aways and thousands of United games in his 55 years, Peter is not planning on slowing down any time soon.
After a brief respite during the international break it will be back to it with Liverpool away followed by a trip down to West Ham the day after to watch the U23s.
“People say we are mad but they can say what they like, I really do love it.”