A passionate football fanatic whose undying support of his hometown club has brought him nationwide attention has been named the country’s top footie fan.

Witham Town Football Club obsessed James Beardwell was crowned the non-league William Hill fan of the year at the National Game Awards during a ceremony at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge last week.

Mr Beardwell, who has autism and learning difficulties, shot to fame when he was captured singing his heart out despite being the only away fan present during his team’s 4-1 loss to Bostik League rivals Grays Athletic in February.

The video has since been watched by more than 700,000 people, gaining attention from footballing legends including Chris Kamara along the way.

“It was an amazing to win the award for all of the fantastic support I’ve given Witham Town for all those years,” Mr Beardwell said.

“I went to a game away at Grays Athletic and even though Witham Town were losing, I kept my singing going for 90 minutes.

“You have to go through the good times and the bad times, and the Witham Town players appreciated my support.”

After his “Beardwell’s on Fire” chant - a riff on the popular Wigan Athletic chant for goalscoring hero Will Grigg - went viral, Mr Beardwell was invited on his favourite TV show Soccer AM.

Sky Sports even made a short documentary about him.

Although no stranger to national attention after appearing on Channel 4’s The Undateables in 2015, now engaged Mr Beardwell admits his aim is not for personal plaudits but to bring more fans to his beloved club’s Spa Road home on matchdays.

He said: “I’ve been using the public transport to get to the Witham Town away matches to make the most of a day out, whether you win, lose or draw.

“The way I sing sounds like 100 or 1000 fans. I want to keep up my support for many years to come.

“Witham Town is a great club and we deserve to have more support. The attendance isn’t much at the moment and we hope to get more in the future.

“The club deserves fantastic support. I think more fans will come to Witham Town matches next season.”

The National Game Awards are run by coaching provider SCL which delivers academy programmes across football, rugby and cricket, in partnership with more than 70 professional, private and grassroots sports clubs, foundations and community trusts.

Visit www.wearescl.co.uk/education.