Blades, who owns BL Car Parts Centre with his wife Liz on South Cliff, was first taken down to the old Athletic Ground as a youngster in the early 60s and has not looked back, supporting the club through the years and now firmly behind Scarborough Athletic.

He explained: “My friend Trevor Carr runs a cafe in Filey and he was talking to someone about the old Boro teams, he was saying how Peter Whyke of the early 60s side was the club’s best ever winger. A chap approached him in the cafe and said that was his father and that he was living in Barnsley.

“A few weeks later the guy came back to the cafe with a team picture of the 1962/63 squad in which has father was included.

“Trevor passed it on to me and I was soon remembering all those years watching Boro.

“That season Boro won the North Eastern League title and I remember being there, it was a great time.”

Blades has been there through the thick and thin with Boro and remembers both the good and bad times very well.

He added: “There were some fantastic times like the 1970s trips to Wembley in the FA Trophy under the guidance of Colin Appleton who was a very good manager.

“And then we won the Conference in the 1986/87 when Neil Warnock was the manager.

“We had some fine players during that era in goalkeeper Kevin Blackwell, Ian Bennyworth and Steve Richards while Steve Norris was a very good striker.

“But then there was the periods leading up to the demise of the club and when we went bust in 2007 I was devastated.”

And football has continued for Blades in the forms of Scarborough Athletic and Town. He is a massive Athletic fan and while he attends their games primarily he also watches the odd Town fixture.

He said: “Athletic have been impressive and it is excellent that the club is run by a trust which means it is in the hands of people who care.

“Brian France has done well as manager and they have the potential to progress but they need to be playing back in Scarborough.

“And Town are a team of young lads who play some nice stuff under Mitch Cook so there is plenty to look forward to.”