A FORMER football coach who is in intensive care fighting coronavirus has been flooded with messages of support.

Albion manager Graham Potter was among those wishing super fan Steven Nye a speedy recovery.

The 67-year-old season ticket holder from Hove is currently isolated from his family as he receives treatment at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

In a video message to Steven, Graham Potter said: “I just wanted to wish you a very speedy recovery.

“Get well soon, everyone is thinking about you here at the club and looking forward to seeing you at the Albion again pretty soon when everything gets back to normal.”

Steven’s relatives noticed something was wrong with him about ten days ago when his temperature soared on and he began to feel confused.

His son Matthew said family members were “absolutely terrified” when Steven tested positive for coronavirus.

The situation was made worse by the fact they were all ordered to isolate themselves and so were unable to check on his condition in person.

But Steven has since left nurses “astonished” by his ability to fight the virus, with healthcare staff saying they could not believe how well he was doing.

Matthew said his father had loved seeing friends and family wishing him well on social media and has kept them up to date with his progress by posting selfies on Facebook.

Steven is a popular and well-known figure in Brighton and Hove, having been the fixtures secretary for Sussex FA and a former coach of youth teams in Rottingdean and Preston Dynamos FC.

Many other people have joined Graham Potter in sending their best wishes to Steven, including Argus sports reporter Adam Stenning, who Steven coached at Rottingdean Village under 13 Blues.

Adam said: “He was a great coach because he would just teach us how to do the basics right and would always have a laugh with the players during training.

“He was so passionate about the game, which you could see on a Sunday morning, and would always be smiling and joking – even if we had lost.

“Get well soon Steve.”

Matthew said Steven rarely misses an Albion fixture at the Amex and makes away games as often as he can.

“It’s the highlight of his week,” he said.

Despite his illness, Steven’s love of the beautiful game remains as strong as ever.

Matthew said: “Even now, the little energy he has is used to talk about football.”