AN elderly care home resident and football fan could not believe his eyes when he scored a touching video message from his favourite player.

Andy Holder, 69, who lives at Care UK’s Silversprings, in Tenpenny Hill, Thorrington, has supported Colchester United since 1968.

When he was younger, he would visit the club’s former Layer Road ground on a weekly basis with his friends to watch his beloved team play.

The super supporter, however, has never been able to visit Colchester United’s new JobServe Community Stadium, which opened in 2008.

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Knowing how much the team means to Andy, staff at Silversprings decided to secretly contact the club to ask if a player could do something special for him.

They eventually received an amazing video message from team captain Tommy Smith, before organising a special surprise screening of the clip for Andy.

Tommy, who primarily plays as a centre back, signed for the Us back in 2020, has taken to the pitch for the League 2 side more than 70 times so far.

Andy, whose favourite footballing memory is when Colchester United beat Leeds 3-2 in 1971, was left overwhelmed by the moving out-of-the-blue gesture.  

He said: “I can’t believe he knew my name and sent me a personal message. It was a lovely surprise – the team are such kind people for sorting this for me.” 

Joanne Rix, manager at Silversprings, a home which provides residential, nursing and dementia care, said staff love to always go above and beyond for residents.

She added: “Here at Silversprings, we are always looking for new ways to ensure our residents lead fulfilling lives.

“Whether that’s organising a trip out for the day or going all out to organise the surprise of a lifetime.

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“The team have been hard at work trying to make this happen and it is so rewarding to see how much it means to Andy.

“The look on Andy’s face when he watched the video was amazing. I’m not sure how we’re going to top this one.”