HE might have witnessed European finals in his quest to watch a game at all 92 English football grounds but Scotland-based university lecturer Paul Hare was overwhelmed by the welcome he received at York City last weekend.

Hare is aiming to complete his south-of-the-border odyssey in aid of the Make-A-Wish Foundation because, in his words, “some people deserve days out more than I do”.

The charity grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions and, following his visit to Bootham Crescent, he has now raised a total £664.74 on his Just Giving page.

Hare only turned his ground-hopping habit into a charity crusade this season with the Minstermen’s 82-year-old home becoming the 43rd stadium he has visited in this country.

Already on his list prior to arriving in North Yorkshire were respective visits to Villa Park and Old Trafford, where he was in the crowds that watched the 1999 European Cup Winners’ Cup final between Lazio and Real Mallorca and the 2003 Champions League showdown between AC Milan and Juventus.

His first visit to an English ground, meanwhile, was back in 1990 when he saw Newcastle beat West Ham 2-1 because, he reasoned, “St James’ Park was on my doorstep really”, despite still representing a 270-mile round trip from his Larkhall home.

The 38-year-old Glaswegian has since seen shocks like Liverpool losing 1-0 at home to Charlton and Leeds getting walloped 6-1 by Watford at Elland Road.

This term, meanwhile, he has taken in trips to Stevenage, Rochdale, Hartlepool, Shrewsbury, Port Vale and Bradford and is planning further journeys to Walsall, Peterborough, Charlton, Bristol Rovers and Fleetwood before the season’s end.

Hare has also attended World Cup and European Championship finals and watched Boca Juniors play in Argentina, but he was still thrilled by his latest sojourn to North Yorkshire, where he was a guest of club vice-president Richard Adams for the day and made the 50-50 draw on the hallowed turf at half-time.

On his welcome at Bootham Crescent, Hare said: “The hospitality from the club and Richard Adams, in particular, was fantastic.

“I was really overwhelmed by how I was looked after at York City. The game wasn’t the best I have seen to be honest. The team had to grind out a result a bit after playing well for the first half-hour but I was just glad that York won. It made the day that bit more special.”

While the University of Strathclyde tutor’s next visit for a home game is likely to be when the club have moved to Monks Cross, City fans can still expect to meet him again during his and their team’s travels.

“I shall be looking out for the Minstermen’s results every week now,” Hare confessed after last weekend’s match. “As I work my way through the remaining clubs I have to visit, I’ll try to incorporate as many matches as possible in which York City are the visitors.”

Despite Bootham Crescent’s ramshackle and rundown appearance, Hare was also charmed by the old ground, preferring pre-War stadia in general to their modern replacements.

He added: “They might be a little rough and ready but I like the character of places like Bury, Hartlepool and York. I wanted to get to Bootham Crescent before the club moves to a new ground because the more rickety a stadium the better for me. You go to places like Shrewsbury and Chesterfield on the edge of the town and they look just the same really.”

Hare’s love affair with visiting football grounds is not a new obsession – he had ticked off all 38 Scottish League stadiums by the time he was 16 – although the promotion of Highland League outfits such as Inverness, Ross County, Elgin and Peterhead, along with ground moves, have left him a few short of a full house now.

On his passion for football and the charity he is supporting, Hare said: “Celtic are my team but I am more interested in going to watch football in different places. Some people up here think I am a bit mad because of all the travelling, but the SPL does not interest me since Rangers’ demise.

“Most people are supportive, though, because of the charity involved and that also helps keep the wife off my back when I’m leaving for another country to watch matches. I have done double figures for the last two years and I want to keep that up.”

To sponsor Hare, you can make an online donation by visiting www.justgiving.com/paultha


In-form McCombe in the frame for second award

JOHN McCombe – The Press Player of the Month for February – has taken an early lead in the March contest.

The former Mansfield centre-back was our star man during last Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Exeter, receiving three points for that honour.

He also polled the most man-of-the-match votes from visitors to our website and followers of the @daveflettpress Twitter account to collect another two bonus points towards the standings.

The other Press points on offer went to Keith Lowe (two) and Adam Reed (one) as our second and third-highest rated players respectively.

Lowe has now moved five points clear at the top of The Press Player of the Year leaderboard.

To be in with a chance of presenting The Press Player of the Month for March with his prize – a framed photograph – before a game at Bootham Crescent, vote for your man of the match from today’s game or tweet your choice to @daveflettpress

The Press Player of the Year latest standings: Lowe 25 points, Carson 21, Fletcher 21, Oyebanjo 19, McGurk 18, O’Neill 14, McCombe 13, Brobbel 11, Montrose 11, Jarvis 9, Parslow 8, Ingham 7, Pope 7, Smith 7, Coulson 6, Bowman 5, Chambers 5, Davies 5, Penn 5, Clay 4, Puri 2, Whitehouse 2, Kettings 1, Reed 1.

The Press Player of the Month for February final standings: McCombe 5, Lowe 2, Reed 1.

Goals: Fletcher 13, Jarvis 9, Bowman 6, Carson 4, Brobbel 3, McCombe 3, Coulson 2, Own goals 2, McGurk 1, Montrose 1, O’Neill 1.

Assists: Coulson 7, Bowman 6, O’Neill 5, Carson 4, Brobbel 3, Fletcher 3, Jarvis 3, Clay 2, Hayhurst 2, McGurk 2, Smith 2, Cresswell 1, Davies 1, Fyfield 1, Ingham 1, Montrose 1, Oyebanjo 1.

Bad boys: Montrose ten yellow cards; Oyebanjo, Whitehouse both six yellow; Carson five yellow; Bowman two red, two yellow; O’Neill, Lowe, Smith all four yellow; McGurk three yellow; Cresswell one red, one yellow; Davies, Fyfield, Hayhurst, Jarvis, McCombe, Penn, Platt all two yellow; Chambers, Clay, Coulson, Parslow, Reed all one yellow.