From the Burnley Express
When Burnley FC (the Clarets) take to the field on August 15, history will be made and the dreams of thousands of the club's supporters will come true. For Burnley's biggest fan this was a day he had been waiting for for many years, but it is a day he will sadly never see. Robert Thistlethwaite followed his beloved team every week for nearly 80 years, but tragically died 11 days before he got the chance to see Burnley FC's Premier League bow.
Down the years the team experienced highs and lows and Robert lived through them all. His cousin and fellow Clarets fan Peter Duckworth said: "He was born in Burnley and has been watching Burnley FC man and boy. He came to pretty much every match, home and away, all his life. He has had a season ticket in the Bob Lord stand since it opened and as long as there have been season tickets."
Robert died on August 4, aged 85, and will be remembered as Burnley's biggest fan. His father took him to see his first match when he was seven – a time when Burnley were struggling in football's second tier. But the magic he saw that day captured his imagination and sparked a love affair with the Clarets to last until his dying day. Even as a young soldier, sent to Burma during the Second World War, he followed his team. He was in the Royal Signals and was awarded the Medal of Valour for his actions. After returning from war, Robert lived virtually all of his adult life away from Burnley, working for Lancashire County Council as a public health inspector in Kirkham, near Preston. But not even this could separate the man from his team, and every other week, come rain, hail or shine, he would make the 70-mile round trip to Turf Moor (Burnley FC's home ground since 1883).
Even when they were playing away he would travel the length and breadth of the country to see the Clarets. Mr Duckworth said: "Robert never drove a car in his life and would catch a train and bus to every game in living memory. He has seen them through thick and thin. It didn't matter where they were playing he would go. There are a lot of devoted supporters but there was not a better one than him."
F.Y.I. Burnley FC (The Clarets) gained promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 33 years after winning the 2009 Football League Championship play-off Final
"RIP" Robert Thistlethwaite ...
