Herbie on the way to Wembley!
Most sports pundits believe that Southampton will have a 12th man on their side when 40,000 supporters are screaming them on in the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
So what would they make of the Saints’ chances if they knew that one of the 40,000 was an official fan of the year?
For 79-year-old Herbert Taylor, that is how he will be known to his friends and fellow fans, after being honoured with the prestigious title at the Football League’s annual awards evening this week.
March 2010
Herbert, who works as a volunteer stadium tour guide at St Mary's and has rarely missed a home game since 1940, is now looking forward to cheering his side on at Wembley.
Whether his impressive new title will spur the Saints on to success remains to be seen, but he hopes that his award will be a good omen for a club he has supported all of his life.
He said: “Somebody reminded me that Southampton already have one award to their name now, so I hope they’ll get another one on March 28!”
All 72 Football League clubs were asked to nominate their supporter of the year to the league, and Herbert was judged as number one, courtesy of his unswerving support and loyalty over the years.
He also invites children from Chernobyl to visit St Mary’s Stadium every year, and writes match reports after each game, which are sent to 34 countries around the world.
He added: “Doing something that I enjoy and love keeps me active, but I still don’t quite know why I have won this award when I am just doing something that I love and enjoy.”
Herbert will be attending the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final with his wife Naomi, who he has been married to for 55 years, and his son and two grandsons.
He said that the prospect of showing people the trophy at St Mary’s was too exciting to contemplate, but he didn’t want to count his chickens.
“I saw the trophy at the Football League award evening. It’s huge isn’t it? It would be lovely to show it off to people when I’m conducting our stadium tours, but we don’t want to take anything for granted.
“Everyone can’t wait for the final now. There will be a sea of red and white at Wembley and the atmosphere should be amazing.
“Carlisle United are a fantastic community club too, and there should be a wonderful spirit to the day. I hope it will be a great game and the best team wins.”
Johnstone's. Bringing colour to the beautiful game.
