1000 UP FOR POSH SUPERFAN

Peterborough United statistician reaches remarkable landmark

Few football fans will appreciate the sport’s highs and lows more than Mick Robinson.

The Peterborough United statistician reached the incredible landmark of watching 1,000 consecutive league matches in a row last Saturday, a run which has included four promotions, 375 players and 1,444 goal celebrations.

The 65-year-old’s remarkable run began in August 1997 a 1-0 home loss to Scunthorpe - having missed the debut of 15-year-old Matthew Etherington at Brentford the match before.

Mick’s 1,000th consecutive league match was also a home defeat, this time 2-1 to Shrewsbury. He was presented with a signed shirt before the match.

He said: “It’s one of these things that when you start going it’s a hard habit to break. There have been times when you’re sat at games and you’re being well and truly beaten and you think ‘I could be at home mowing the lawn’.

“But you don’t go because you expect to win, you go to support the club.”

Mick’s first ever Posh match was in November 1959 against Spennymore United in the Midland League. And his dedication means he has only missed two league matches since September 1974.

During his current run of 1,000 matches, his favourite game was beating Queens Park Rangers 4-1 in October 2001 in the third tier - “I still feel that’s one of the best games of foot- ball we’ve played,” - and his favourite player was defender Sean St Ledger. “I felt he was terrific player,” he said.

Mick, who usually drives to matches with a couple of friends, has co-authored two books on the club’s history and has the largest known collection of Posh programmes and memorabilia.

The retired ex-fisheries enforcement officer used to work Sundays so he could take a day off during the week for matches played on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

The worst moment of his monumental run was a 6-0 defeat at Reading in April 2010.

He recalled: “We were four goals down in about 20 odd minutes. I sat there and thought ‘why am I here?’”

Top: Mick Robinson receiving his signed shirt from Posh chief executive Bob Symns; bottom: Mick at home