I've not missed watching my Greater Manchester rugby team play in 44 years- including when they were in Canada

Britain's most loyal sports fan is in a league of his own after not missing his beloved rugby team play - for 44 years.

John Spellman, 75, has attended around 1,438 consecutive Swinton Lions matches home and away, having last missed a game way back in October 1979.

The rugby league-mad great grandad, who attended his first match aged 12, has declined invitations to events if they clashed with a game.

And he even left his granddaughter's Holy Communion early to catch the second half of a match.

John, of Monton, Greater Manchester, said: “I was doing a bit of shopping for my mum one Saturday morning and I saw a mate of mine from school and he said ‘are you coming down to Swinton this afternoon?’

“I said ‘yeah why not? I’ve got nothing better to do’. He stopped going about 40 years ago, but I’ve still not found anything better to do all these years on.”

John, a retired steel tube salesman, began attending away games when he started working at 16. His side have been crowned rugby league champions six times and won the sport’s challenge cup trophy three times in their history.

However they last picked up a major trophy in 1969 and have spent most of the time since languishing in the lower divisions of the sport. And since leaving their historic Station Road ground in 1992, they’ve played home games at 15 different stadiums.

The currently compete in the Championship, the sport’s second tier competition, and play at Heywood Road in Sale, which they with a semi-professional rugby union club Sale FC.

Despite their nomadic existence and frequently languishing in the lower leagues, John has never waivered in his support of the side.

He added: “It’s not a question of what the club means to me, it’s more what it doesn’t mean to me. They p*ss me off at times and there’s times you think ‘why do I bother?’

“I’m not from Swinton, I’ve never lived in Swinton in my life, but once it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood and that’s it.”

Not even Covid was able to break John’s amazing record of consecutive games as he was drafted in as a volunteer to keep other fans out and maintain social distancing guidelines.

And he’s now ditched his replica shirt and scarf for a suit on matchday after he was called up to help the club’s hospitality department.

He added: “I’ve helped out as long as I can remember. Because I’d been involved for so long, they asked me to be a steward at home games to keep people out and make sure people kept to the social distancing and one way systems in place.

“When crowds were allowed back in, it was table service only at first in the bar so they asked me to help out with that - there’s me wearing trackies and a pair of scruffy trainers. They’ve asked me be on standby on matchdays in case they need help in there, so now I come suitable attired in case I’m needed.”

His long-time girlfriend Jan has joined John on holidays to destinations such as Toulouse and Toronto where the Lions were playing.

But she has no interest in the sport and when Swinton played an historic game in Canada, she was much more interested In what was on the hotel television.

John said: “I’m getting ready for the game and she’s flicking through the channels and she’s found Coronation Street on the tele, so she stayed in the hotel watching Corrie.”

The last game he missed was his 31st birthday on October 14, 1979, because he was coming back from holiday the same day Swinton lost away at Keighley.

But there have been some closes, including in 1998 when he attended a friend's wedding in Wolverhampton.

John said: “I had arranged to meet my mate to get a lift to the ground, but we got our wires crossed and he wasn't there. So I ended up paying £60 to get a taxi from Wolverhampton to Manchester and just made it back in time to catch the coach to go to Whitehaven away – and then we lost in the last minute.

“That sort of sums up my time supporting Swinton really.”