DEREK IS THE MAN WHO IS ALWAYS THERE...

SUPERFAN Derek Elston could have had a more enjoyable afternoon as he watched his 2,000th consecutive Swindon match – they were dumped out of the FA Cup by NonLeague Woking.

Elston’s remarkable run started with an FA Cup second-round win over Sutton in December 1981, but his new milestone saw the Robins beaten 1-0 by the Cards.

Somewhat surprisingly, the 68-year-old has never lived in, or near, Swindon – he grew up in Watford and latterly moved to Northampton. “My parents had friends that lived in Chiseldon, just o u t s i d e Swindon. I always had interest in trains and Swindon was the main works on the Great Western Railway, so I chose them,” he told BBC Sport.

“The first game I got to was in 1967 - I was on something like £4.50 a week as an apprentice, so games were very few and far between.”

The retired auto-electrician was presented with a shirt and cakes to celebrate his 2,000th game, but admits his amazing run nearly came to an end less than three years after it started.

“In 1984 we got relegated on the final day of the season at Newport. I was absolutely devastated, and me and my friend never spoke a word all the way home,” he said.

“When we got back he said ‘see you next season’ and I said ‘no, I won’t be going again’ - but of course I did.”

Trips to Ascoli and Venezia in the Anglo-Italian Cup, a chance to see “incredible” player-manager Glenn Hoddle in a Swindon shirt, and a season in the Premier League were rewards for his devotion.

Elston has programmes from all 2,000 games and has seen Swindon play home and away against every side in England’s top four divisions.

“I never set out to do this, it just happened. It’s just what I do – I go to the football every Saturday and Tuesday,” he says.

“As long as I’m fit, able and enjoying it, I’ll still go.”