The wife of Liverpool fan Sean Cox has revealed one wish for him after he was brutally attacked outside Anfield.
Life-long fan Sean was left with a serious brain injury after the incident involving a masked AS Roma supporter last April.
Although his attacker has now been jailed, 54-year-old Sean faces a long road to recovery that began with five weeks in the Walton Centre .
Since then, Sean has spent the last 11 months in hospital with his devoted family by his side.
His wife Martina announced that Sean's first public outing would take place on Friday, at an LFC Legends match held in his honour, while revealing one of her wishes for her husband.
She said: "He's going to be there which is great, I didn't think it would happen a couple of months ago.
"It's a big milestone for us. He has been out of hospital for a couple of hours before, but this is him out in the public arena for the first time.
"It will be quite overwhelming for Sean. He's been home but literally only in our house, and he's been with family.
"At the beginning (after the attack) we didn't know how things were going to pan out, so to have him at the match is really significant.
"Particularly so for his brother Martin, because he travelled with him that day and they never got to see the match. It's great for all of the family."
Mrs Cox, 53, said she would love to see her husband one day well enough to return to his beloved Anfield.
She added: "He regularly went to Anfield.
"For him Anfield would have been a very safe place, because there had never been any incidents before.
"But unfortunately that day there was.
"Down the line when he's well enough I would say Martin would definitely love to get him there - I would too.
"I'm sure Liverpool Football Club would love to have him there, because he never got in that day."
A Liverpool Legends team, managed by Sir Kenny Dalglish and captained by Ian Rush, will play an Irish Republic Legends side in Dublin on Friday night with proceeds going to Mr Cox's rehabilitation fund.
The father-of-three is currently being cared for in Ireland's National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire near Dublin.
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Mr Cox, who turned 54 on Tuesday, will leave the facility in Dun Laoghaire in June.
After that he is being moved to spend a number of months in a rehabilitation centre in the UK, with his family moving with him.
Mrs Cox, who lives with the couple's three children Jack, Shauna and Emma in the family home in Dunboyne, said they have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people who have supported them.
She currently juggles a job as a buyer for the Dunnes supermarket chain with visiting her husband and fundraising for his treatment costs.
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She said: "Our lives literally have been turned upside down."
"He's only been at home for a couple of hours twice in the last year, so his lack of presence in the house is sorely missed."
Around 25,000 fans are expected to attend Friday's match at the Aviva Stadium.
Tickets for the "Legends for Sean Cox" match, which kicks off at 7.45pm on Friday, are available from Ticketmaster.
To find out more about Mr Cox's journey, or make a donation, visit www.supportsean.com
