Burnley FC football fan 'gobsmacked' by lift plea response
- Published
Christopher Coxhead, 71, has been going to Burnley home games since he was 14
A football fan with Parkinson's disease said he was left "gobsmacked" by the response to a newspaper advert he took out asking for a lift to matches.
Christopher Coxhead was worried his ill health would soon prevent him from driving to Burnley FC's home games.
The advert he placed in The Southport and Formby Champion has since been shared thousands of times online.
Mr Coxhead, 71, said: "I just thought someone local might see it, I didn't expect anything like this."
Diagnosed in 2018, Mr Coxhead said concerns about long drives from his home in Southport, Merseyside, to the games at Turf Moor stadium, prompted him to post the ad.
Mr Coxhead said he was concerned about long drives from his home in Southport to games at Turf Moor
It read: "OAP season ticket holder in Argyle Road, Southport, looking for 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."
It was when Twitter-user Carl Disley posted a picture of the advert, external asking people to help that the ad went viral with more than 43,000 likes and almost 12,000 shares.
"I'm quite embarrassed, to be honest," Mr Coxhead said. "I just wanted to find someone who would be passing my way to Turf Moor who could give me a lift."
"People's generosity has been amazing," he added, after being inundated with offers of help.
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"Even people who aren't football fans have offered to drive me over, wait until after the game and bring me home," he continued.
"I've sorted my lift now and have had lots of other people happy to be on standby too. The response has been incredible."
Originally from Berkshire, Mr Coxhead has been travelling to home games since he was 14 when he would travel from London Euston and get the midnight train home.
"I've always travelled to the match," he said.
"The journey is part of it. There's that big kind of community spirit with going to the games that I really enjoy.
"And all the people I sit with at the ground, we have known each other for years. It's just is part of your life."
Mr Coxhead said he had now renewed his season ticket.
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