US football fan travels 4,000 miles to see Bath City play

History teacher Jesse Stollings said he tunes into the club's internet radio coverage of every match

An American high school teacher travelled more than 4,000 miles to England to see his favourite football team thrash their opponents.

It was the first time Jesse Stollings, from North Carolina, saw Bath City FC play, after discovering them while playing computer game Football Manager.

Bath City FC said his visit was a "fantastic way to kick off the year".

And the fact the club beat opponents Chippenham Town five-nil made it even better for Mr Stollings.

He said he "fell in love" with the club three years ago after a friend suggested it would be the "right sort of team" for him to "manage".

'Made me welcome'

Mr Stollings said when he realised the club was playing at home on New Year's Day, he and his wife Kelly, "decided for Christmas this year, we wanted to do something a little bit different".

"I said I want to go to Bath to see the Romans play, so we bought tickets and flew to England," he said.

Mr Stollings said he was also drawn to be a fan of the club when a friend had mentioned the story of how its fans had raised more than £300,000 to enable it to become a community-owned squad.

"Everybody's just been very helpful and supportive and the fans that I've been interacting with, even though I haven't actually met them, they've been giving me all kinds of advice," he said.

"They've made me feel welcome even though I was 4,000 miles away and it's continued now that we're here."

Bath City's general manager Carole Banwell, said: "Jesse's visit [made] this local derby match even more special.

"We know our fans are among the most committed in the country but this is a totally different level."