Meet the football superfan who fell in love with Winchester City

Robert Conway, an Eastleigh-based football fanatic has visited more than 730 football grounds across 14 countries.

He has been to 2,030 matches and counting.

A passionate fan who will attempt to watch any and every match. Eight matches in one weekend is his current record.

Robert has completed “the 92”, meaning that he has attended a match at all English football grounds in the top four divisions. He has also seen matches at all 56 professional German League grounds.

Robert has quite the collection of football memorabilia, with more than 200 scarves and 469 football shirts from the 733 grounds he has visited.

Robert’s passion for football was ignited by Blackburn Rovers in the 1990s, when Alan Shearer fired them to the Premier League title in 1995.

‘Community feeling’

Living in the south of England and travelling up to Ewood Park every other week was unfeasible for Robert, so he turned his attention to his local club, Winchester City.

Robert has been going to watch Winchester City every week, home and away for nine years and he will only miss a match if he has absolutely no choice.

Since attending his first match against Laverstock and Ford one Tuesday night, he has never looked back.

Robert “loves the community feeling” and says in a positive way that it is “just different supporting a non-league club”.  

Being closer to the action comes with its benefits as Robert says he knows the manager and the players and that they all know him.

Robert describes his strong association with the club from the position of a fan as a “nice fit”.

He feels like a “very small part of the club” and that his support has an influence at Winchester City’s matches.

Fourth Division Alemannia Aachen is the German club that has also captured Robert’s heart and he is the founder of their UK supporters club.

With over 20,000 fans on average at home matches last season, it is no surprise Robert has many friends in Germany.

The greatest game

Attending their matches is “so much fun”, especially at only €12 a ticket.

The best match Robert has ever attended was Eintracht Frankfurt’s 4-4 draw at home to Hertha Berlin in December 2014.

Frankfurt fell three goals behind but then managed to salvage a point thanks to two last-gasp stoppage time goals from local hero Alex Meier, who Robert said would “forever be my favourite player”.

“The place just went absolutely crazy.”

Frankfurt even had a final chance right at the end to win the match which went a yard wide.

Robert said that if it had gone in, he would have “never been able to go to a game ever again as nothing would have ever compared”. 

Having been to the San Siro, Signal Iduna Park and Como’s ground, Borussia Neunkirchen is now the dream destination that Robert has yet to visit.

He has been trying to get to their “fantastic, massive, old, crumbly, concrete stadium”, for many years.