It was a love affair that began in 1954 when Kitty Thorne attended her first Bristol Rovers match. Sixty-one years later, Mrs Thorne is the club’s oldest female supporter and has recently celebrated her 100th birthday.
After decades in the stands she now watches matches from a corporate box, given to her by the club as recognition of her loyalty.
Mrs Thorne and her late husband, Les, attended their first match at Rovers’ former Eastville ground, having caught a steam train from their home in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
The couple were dairy workers and were relocated from London to Wiltshire on the outbreak of the Second World War. Their jobs were considered essential to maintain milk and dairy supplies.
On the day of their first match, Winston Churchill was still prime minister and wartime rationing was just coming to an end. Rovers beat Leeds United 5-1. Mrs Thorne was hooked.
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Since then she has made the journey to Bristol to watch her team about 1,500 times, although she is now driven to the Memorial Stadium by her son Peter, 70, who accompanied his parents to that first game. She has remained a season ticket-holder in the West Stand, rarely missing a Saturday home game and enjoying a corned beef sandwich and flask of coffee at half-time.
“Football is my life, and Rovers is my club. I love coming here. It’s what I look forward to. I’ll keep coming to games as long as I can,” she said. “I fell in love with the noise and the atmosphere.”