A legendary Derby County fan who went to home games for an incredible 90 years except for when he was fighting in WW2, has died aged 103, the club confirmed.
Derek Eley took club loyalty to new levels having taken in more than 1,700 home matches since he first began following the club as a teenager in 1931.
He clocked up more than a staggering 130,000 miles while making the 80-mile round trip every other week to cheer his team on.
The legendary fan, who was dubbed Mr Derby County, only missed matches when he was a soldier in Italy during WW2.
The club announced his death on Monday and thanked Derek for his "incredible support".
A spokesman said: "Everyone at Derby is saddened to learn of the passing of our oldest supporter, Derek Eley.
"Widely regarded as the country's oldest football fan, Derek has sadly passed away aged 103.
"Rest in peace, Mr Derby County, and thank you for your incredible support."
Super fan Derek first went to a Rams game aged 14 and fell in love with the atmosphere at the club's old Baseball Ground.
When war broke out he served with the Sherwood Foresters in Italy, and while he couldn't attend games, he was still thinking about the club.
Derek wrote to the chairman of the FA to ask for tickets to the FA Cup final when competition resumed for the 1945-46 season. He obliged and Derek took in his beloved Rams thrashing Charlton Athletic 4-1 at Wembley.
The father-of-two rarely missed a home match and saw his team twice crowned First Division champions and watched them lift the FA Cup at Wembley.
Derek, who handed in his driving licence aged 89, attended matches with friend Caron Morris, who sat next to him at the stadium when he got older.
Speaking in 2019, he said he felt "lucky that I have lived a long life" and that he "survived the war".
Derek said: "My eyesight isn't what it used to be, but I still love going.
"I can see the left hand side of the pitch, but when it gets past the halfway line, I have to ask Caron what's going on.
"I have been lucky that I have had a long life, I've had a good job and survived the war.
"One of the greatest things in life is being friendly with people and if you do that, people will be good to you."
Through the years, Derek would actively avoid planning parties, trips and even DIY on a Saturday for fear it would clash with the football.
Derek stopped travelling to away games, but previously said there was no other place he would rather spend a Saturday afternoon than Pride Park, the club's home since 1997.
He said: "I've been going to Derby since I was a young boy, it has been a huge part of my life. I've rarely missed a home game in all the years I've been going.
"I would go to away games when I was younger, I went all over. I followed them everywhere.
"We have a great set of fans and I love the atmosphere. I love being there."
Derek, who lived in Chapel-en-le-Frith all his life, said he enjoyed it most when his side beat Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.
He added: "Nottingham Forest are Derby's biggest rivals, but for us in Chapel-en-le-Frith, we used to enjoy beating Man United as well because there were lots of United fans in the village.
"It was always fun rubbing it in with your friends down the pub when we'd beaten them. There was also a great game when Arsenal had won 14 or 15 on the bounce and came to the Baseball Ground and we beat them 1-0.
"I remember being at Tottenham one Wednesday night in a cup replay in 1973. We were 3-1 down with ten minutes to go then Roger Davies scored a hat-trick and we won 5-3."
Derek, who was honoured with a British Empire Medal for his level of military service, passed his football passion on to his son Robert, who now lives in Australia.
The footy-mad dad and lad went to ten matches during the World Cup in 1966 - including England's historic victory over West Germany in the final.
He said: "We went to five matches at Everton, three at Old Trafford, the semi-final at Villa Park and the final at Wembley - all for £15.
"Seeing England win the World Cup was special and one of my best memories."
Derek, who worked for brake pad manufacturers Ferodo after the war, played the game himself until he was forced to quit through injury aged 36.
He cited Sammy Crooks as the best player he has ever seen play, while Costa Rican star Paulo Wanchope is his pick of the modern era.
His wife Mary, a former nurse, died 18 years ago after a battle with Alzheimer's and his daughter Janet lives in Shropshire.
