A FOOTY fan made sure he did not miss Albion’s FA Cup clash by secretly watching the game in an igloo while on holiday in Lapland.

Seagulls season ticket holder Simon Livermore, from Hove, seized his chance to watch the action when his girlfriend Susana Jarvis went for a stroll in the snow on Saturday.

The couple went on the expensive once-in-a-lifetime trip for his birthday last week and he had tried to avoid it clashing with any Premier League home games.

Unluckily for him, Brighton got a home draw against Derby in the fifth round – though it was televised on the BBC.

Simon, 43, a project manager, realised he had wi-fi coverage in Finland, and as kick-off approached he made his excuses about not joining Susana for a walk.

But the atmosphere turned frosty when she returned to their luxury igloo earlier than expected and found him relaxing and watching Albion.

Susana, 43, said: “I was a little bit annoyed at the beginning.

“It cost thousands to go on this holiday and were only in the igloo for one night.

“After going for a walk, I went back to the room and was ready to go exploring.

“Then I saw him watching the football.

“I thought ‘are you kidding me?’.”

Susana, also 43, was recording on her mobile phone and thought Simon would be ready to go exploring on the trip, where activities include cross country skiing, reindeer sled rides and husky sled rides.

But then she saw him in his Albion Christmas jumper with a beer in hand, watching the match.

Simon admits he has got form, after watching Albion games in Cape Verde and Madagascar while on his holidays.

He said: “On the Saturday morning we had just moved over to the igloo and Susana had gone for a stroll.

“I had a mobile phone app and was amazed to have wi-fi reception.

“I didn’t want to mention to her that I would need a couple of hours out of our day so I told her I would need some time to unpack.

“The game had only started for ten minutes when she got back.

“She was a bit frustrated, but she was OK eventually.”

He said that things have changed in recent years with Albion’s promotion to the Premier League, as he has been able to watch matches on his travels across the globe.

At first Susana gave him the cold shoulder, but she was able to forgive him when Albion earned their victory, despite late tension when Derby pulled a goal back to make the score 2-1.

She said: “Simon can get a bit frustrated when the football doesn’t go the way he wants it to.”

Goals from Anthony Knockaert and Jurgen Locadia ensured their spirits were high in the igloo.

“The igloo had a bit of an echo, and when I celebrated I think I may have disturbed the Arctic silence for other tourists nearby,” Simon added.