'I'll read this story to my dad every day'

Acun Ilicali has owned Hull City since January 2022

A Hull City fan who has been told he has three months to live has enjoyed "one of the best days of his life" after the club invited him to a training session. But his daughter says he will have no memory of the experience within hours. The BBC was invited along to write a story that will be read to him every day so he can remember how he felt.

Owen Griffiths, 62, has been a Hull City fan his entire life, but he has advanced Alzheimer's disease and pancreatic cancer.

After the club heard about his story, Owen and his daughter Sophie, 30, were given a VIP tour of the training ground, where they met players, the manager and owner Acun Ilicali, ahead of Saturday's match against Portsmouth.

But because of his disease, Owen will not remember the events of the day. So Sophie – who went to games with him for more than 20 years before his deteriorating health stopped him going – has promised to read this article back to him.

Owen arrived at the ground wearing a Hull City cap, tracksuit jacket and black and amber striped socks.

As he sat in his wheelchair on the grass, forward Kyle Joseph and defender Charlie Hughes walked out from the changing rooms and shook his hand.

"How do you do Charlie," Owen said, holding the player's hand with a bright smile.

Sophie says she feels proud to be part of the Hull City family

Tears trickled down Owen's cheeks as he looked out on to the pitch. Sophie held his hand tightly.

When manager Sergej Jakirovic approached the emotional pair, Owen looked up from his chair and joked: "You're tall aren't ya?"

Jakirovic laughed and Sophie reminded her dad she had told him all about the Tigers boss, who wrote a personal letter of support to the family.

More players, including John Egan, Regan Slater and Lewie Coyle, went over and bent down to shake Owen's hand.

"I'm the ugly one," Coyle said, before complimenting Owen's retro-style jacket.

Owen said he had not been expecting all of this when he woke up, but Sophie explained she had been telling him about it all week.

Leaning down to her dad's chair, she asked him to remember how he felt when he was told he was coming.

He looked out on to the pitch. "I cried, didn't I Sophie."

"That's right dad," she replied.

Hull City are currently 8th in the Championship

Jakirovic gave them some new Hull City tops and a football, which Owen span in his hands before posing for a picture with the whole team.

After a warm-up, the players began their training session.

Then, club owner Acun Ilicali came over and began pushing Owen's wheelchair towards the players.

Jakirovic said: "I have one more gift for you, seats to a box for Saturday's game."

"Oh my goodness," said Sophie, as she wrapped her arms around her dad's shoulders.

She said she was excited to tell her younger sisters Ebony and Amber, who are named after Hull City's black and amber colours.

As the players left the pitch, they stopped to sign Owen's football.

Sophie said: "I'll remember this day for as long as I can. By the time we get him home later, he's probably going to have forgotten.

"Then we'll have the same conversations of, 'remember where you went? Remember who you saw?'

"It just goes out of his head and it's really sad, but that's the reality of this disease."

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