A LIFELONG Albion fan who has never missed a game has paid tribute to the club’s promotion success as he celebrates attending 2,698 games.

Bernie Dawes, 84, has been a fan of Brighton and Hove Albion FC since his fifth birthday when his father took him to his first live game.

The retired Peacehaven resident has won a number of awards and commemorative ornaments from the club for his many years of unfaltering support.

Over the years, Mr Dawes, who used to sell programmes and lottery tickets for Albion, among doing other jobs for the club, has collected thousands of programmes and visited 171 different football grounds to watch them play.

He said: “It started all those years ago because my father was a keen supporter and was also on the supporter’s club committee, so it is definitely a family tradition to follow the Albion.

“I remember the first game I attended very well as we played Exeter City FC and won 6-0.

“Overall, I think the club has changed a lot since I became a fan and there is definitely a marked difference between the atmosphere I have experienced at the Amex compared with that of the old grounds.

“The club really has built up a top notch following and I think the new stadium has played a big part in that, with the club’s community spirit still intact.”

Mr Dawes even found love through his support for the team and met his wife Shirley while attending an Albion match.

He has two children, a son and a daughter, and grandsons who have all either worked for Albion at some point or are currently working for the club.

Speaking of his time working there, Mr Dawes recalled having to put out the benches for the players at the Goldstone Ground before they played a game and how he became close friends with some of the players at the time.

He remembers the “hard work” fans had to put in when the Goldstone Ground was sold and fans had to travel to Gillingham to watch the team play.

He said: “I used to get the chance to speak to all the players and we would often socialise outside of the club which you just don’t get to do now.

“You just wouldn’t get a chance to get close to them in the modern game, especially in the Premier League.

“We always used to have big events and dinners for the supporters club and it was a great place to meet fellow supporters and socialise as a club.

“I used to get to go for a drink with players and got to know them fairly well during my time working at the club.

“I want to send my congratulations to the club, its fans and players for all their hard work, resulting in the club’s well deserved promotion to the Premier League.

“It has been a long time coming and what a great achievement it is.

“To see it has made me feel very proud of just how far we have come together.

“I have made so many great memories over the years and am still good friends with other fans who have also been following the club for decades.”

The former Albion employee remembers buying his first season ticket as a young man and paying just £3 for it at the time.

He was awarded the Roger Harris Memorial Shield by Albion last year for his “outstanding work on behalf of the club and its fans over the decades”.

As well as this award, he has also received a commemorative silver plate and other memorabilia to mark each large milestone for the number of games he has attended.

Mr Dawes added: “I wish the club all the best in the years to come and just wanted all those involved with the team to know how great it is to see the club getting better and better.

“We have worked as one big community through past hardships and issues surrounding the survival of the club before moving to the Amex.

“The promotion is such a memorable part of the club’s history and I am glad to be a part of it.”

He stopped working for Albion towards the end of 2015.

Mr Dawes has high hopes for the club in the next season but took the chance to say that there are also improvements that need to be made.