LIFELONG Barnsley FC fan Alan Smith says the support he has received from fellow supporters is keeping him going following a cancer diagnosis - and he admits that a minute’s applause in his honour on Easter Monday was incredibly emotional.
The 71-year-old, from Brampton, could stake a claim for being the most well-known Barnsley fan thanks to his work volunteering at the club and his appearances on YouTube channel Red All Over.
He remembers his first time at Oakwell fondly as he saw the stadium for the first time in 1959 and he’s been in love with the club ever since.
Al says that the support he has received following on from his cancer diagnosis has been nothing short of incredible.
But he admits the diagnosis itself came as a huge shock.
He told the Chronicle: “It’s not something that I expected to happen.
“It started in February when I was eating a curry and it lodged in my throat so I just had to stop.
“In the next couple of days everything I ate just started to come back up.”
Alan was heartbreakingly diagnosed with oesophageal cancer following a number of tests.
He was due to undergo keyhole surgery to remove the tumour but further cancer was found on the fat on Alan’s stomach - meaning he would be unable to remove it completely.
“It’s inoperable so it means that I’m just going to have to learn to live with it,” he added.
“I’ve had to have a stent fitted which is not pleasant.
“I’ve now been referred to Weston Park to have chemotherapy and, if I’m a fit, immunotherapy.
“It’s come on so quickly.
“I’ve gone from 19-and-a-half stone to 16 stone four since I was diagnosed and it’s not been easy.
“I’m still trying to come to terms with the stent.
“Everything has changed - I’m not even allowed Yorkshire puddings which isn’t great because I make really food ones.
“It’s just got to be soft food.”
Despite the heartbreaking diagnosis, Al says that the support he has received from the Barnsley FC community has been overwhelming.
And in the club’s League One fixture against Peterborough United on Monday he received a signed shirt from head coach Conor Hourihane and was even the subject of a minute’s applause.
He added: “Kate (his wife) got a video from Hourihane last week asking if we’d be going to the game on Monday.
“There’s just been an immense support from all the fans.
“I got a message from Lee Phillips, dad of our number eight Adam, asking if they’d be able to organise a minute’s applause on Monday.
“I told him that it would be very encouraging.
“It was a special date but it was emotionally draining.
“Both Kate and I are just so thankful for everyone’s support.”
And it’s not just current Barnsley players who have been in touch - it’s club legends.
“I’ve had messages from a lot of people, recently Lloyd Isgrove messaged me from Australia,” he said.
“It’s just such a community club.
“I’ll never forget the first time I saw Oakwell.
“I was five years old and it sticks with you.
“I’ve sold programmes at the club, volunteered with the Reds in the Community project which saw me interview players like Mick McCarthy and Gerry Taggart.”
And despite the diagnosis, Al is trying his best to remain positive.
“I feel for Kate because it’s been really tough for her,” he added.
“It’s not a pleasant illness.
“I don’t smoke, I hardly drink and now I’m in this situation.
“It’s inoperable so it’s just a case of ‘fingers crossed’.”
