A Merseyside pensioner has taken out a newspaper advert in a plea for help from fellow football fans.
Burnley supporter Chris Coxhead posted in the Southport and Formby Champion saying: "OAP season ticket holder in Argyle Road, Southport looking for [a] lift from Southport to and from the Clarets' home games.
"Prepared to change seats in the ground to facilitate this. I have early-stage Parkinson's."
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Since the ad was printed in the weekly edition on Wednesday, February 16 it has picked up pace on social media and has even had a response from Burnley FC.
One person, Carl Disley, posted a picture of the ad on Twitter where it has accumulated more than 41,000 likes and almost 12,000 retweets since it was tweeted at 3.39pm on Friday, February 18.
The tweet said: "Football fans assemble. Share this far and wide. Let's keep this fella going the match as long as possible."
Less than a day later, it was revealed that the football club is offering the fan a VIP experience where he will have the chance to sit in the director's box and meet manager Sean Dyche.
The 71-year-old was diagnosed with the disease in 2018 and is now at the point where he doesn't feel comfortable driving such a distance from his home in Southport.
Since the advert was placed in the paper, Chris has had an offer from someone in Longton, just north of Southport, who goes to Burnley games at the club's Turf Moor home - meaning he has now renewed his season ticket for the Clarets.
He told the ECHO: "One nice gentleman, David Walker, has offered for me to go in his box for the Leicester game and he'll send someone to pick me up and bring me home. I have found someone through all this who is willing to take me. He lives in Longton so it's not too far away.
"I can drive there for the time being because it's a pretty straight drive and if I can't drive I can get the X2 (bus). Even if I can't do that he's said he'll drive me home or pick me up. We're quite happy with that.
"We're both of a similar age, we both have lads who we used to go with, we're both happy to sit and chat with each other for two or three hours to and from matches. The club, I understand, has offered me a match in the director's box, to meet the manager and a signed shirt as well as other bits and pieces, which is just fantastic.
"I'm quite embarrassed, to be honest. I didn't expect any of this. I just wanted to find someone who was going my way to Turf Moor who could give me a lift.
"It was more for next season before I bought my season ticket. When I got the offer I bought my season ticket overnight."
Since Chris spoke to the ECHO, Burnley FC has confirmed that they have invited the fan from Tarleton a seat with the chairman in the chairman's lounge for their match against Tottenham on Wednesday night.
Burnley chairman Alan Pace said: “We have been in touch with Chris, the Clarets fan who placed the advert in the newspaper, to invite him and a guest to join us in the Chairman’s lounge at Wednesday night’s Tottenham game.
“In speaking to Chris, we found out that a fellow supporter who lives nearby has offered to bring him to all future home games, which is fantastic to hear.
“This scenario is a real testament to the power of the fans. To see Chris’s advert shared far and wide by supporters, which ultimately resulted in him securing transport to Turf Moor, is wonderful. This has been a great example of how football can really bring people together.”
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