Ayhan, who became a Blues follower after watching the team on TV earn a thrilling 3-3 draw in the FA Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford, travelled to north Derbyshire for the derby clash with Rotherham.

After watching the fabled semi-final on Turkish television in 1997, Ayhan has avidly followed the team's progress.

So when a scheduled business trip to the UK arose, he grabbed the opportunity to watch his heroes at Saltergate.

Following a pre-match photo with the players Ayhan spent the first half in the Saltergate main stand but he felt the team needed a little more vocal support and stood with the fans on the kop for the second period.

And he may just have helped suck in Alan Goodall's injury time clincher as Chesterfield won the match 1-0, the decider coming in the final seconds of the fourth minute of added time.

Ayhan said: ''My hero is Jamie Ward, he's such a terrier but I didn't care who scored.

''The midfield were fantastic, especially Derek Niven, he really impressed me. The team deserved the three points and the atmosphere was fantastic in the second half.

''The fans made me really welcome and I loved joining in with the songs. I'm so pleased that my visit brought a little bit of luck to the team. I feel I'm hooked already and will be looking to arrange further trips.''



READ MORE
Main news index
Letters
Local sport
Music and gig scene