'I named my daughter after Vardy - we'll miss him'

Ashley Marriott goes home and away with his daughter Amelia Violet Vardy Marriott

A diehard Leicester City fan who convinced his wife to name their unborn child after Jamie Vardy says he is "gutted" the striker will be leaving at the end of the season.

Ashley Marriott, 37, hit the headlines in 2016 when he called his newborn daughter Amelia Violet Vardy Marriott.

The name has rubbed off as Amelia has grown up to love football and shares her father's passion for Leicester City, travelling home and away.

Mr Marriott told the BBC: "As a team and a fanbase, we'll miss him heavily and for us, Amelia has grown up knowing Jamie Vardy... it will be hard for her and he is a big part of our lives."

Amelia said her hero told her she had an "excellent middle name"

Mr Marriott, from Oadby in Leicestershire, convinced his wife Daisy to give their unborn child the middle name Vardy after launching an online petition, which secured almost 6,000 signatures.

"The year before we won the title, where we stayed up, he was a big part of that and from then on I knew he'd go on to be special," he said.

"The year we went on to win the title, we were having a child and it's something I wanted to do."

Mr Marriott said he took Amelia to her first Foxes game aged two and now the pair travel home and away each week.

Amelia said she was proud to be named after Jamie Vardy

The Foxes mad father said his daughter "didn't believe him" when he broke the news of Vardy's departure to her.

He added the eight-year-old went straight online and saw the story on YouTube.

"She saw it and was also gutted," he said.

Amelia said she was proud to be named after her hero and had met the Leicester City striker on a number of occasions.

"It feels really nice because I love football and he's a really good player," she said.

"He said to me [being named after him] is so cool and that it is an 'excellent middle name'."

On Vardy's announcement to leave, Mr Marriott said: "It was expected in a way - we thought he might go last season and gave us another year in the Premier League.

"I agree with him that it's time to move on but I'm absolutely gutted as I'm sure every fan is.

"It was a shock, I thought he might announce it nearer the end of the season but I'm sure he'll get a great reception."

Mr Marriott described Vardy as a "club legend" and called for a statue in his honour.

Vardy won the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield, and has scored 198 goals in 496 appearances