Coleraine Football Club has been ‘taking care’ of its long-serving caretaker by arranging a very special trip to mark his 70th birthday.

The Club was delighted to play its part in giving its long-serving caretaker Willie Bacon a midweek break to remember as he finally got the chance to cheer on the second team in his life.

As everyone knows, Willie is an ardent Derby County fan but had never been over to support the Rams at Pride Park. However, that all changed on November 3 as he was treated to a trip to Pride Park to watch John Eustace’s side against Norwich City.

The trip was planned and organised in complete surprise as a present to celebrate Willie’s 70th birthday. The costs for Willie’s special excursion were kindly donated by first-team players, staff and Academy staff to give Willie a night he will never forget.

Despite the result not going in Derby County’s favour, Willie still had a brilliant night at Pride Park and then had a tour of the ground the following day.

Staff at Coleraine FC would like to place on record their sincere thanks to David Cavan and Dylan Kirkpatrick for arranging the hospitality tickets, as well as Sarah Poplar and everyone at Derby County FC who made Willie feel so welcome.

A special word of thanks goes to Sarah for organising a private tour of the stadium, which provided another memorable part of the experience. The trip was organised by Shauna Kane and Jamie Selfridge, with the latter having the privilege of looking after Willie over the course of the two days.

“It was an unbelievable experience for me to witness the delight in Willie’s face as he watched Derby County for the first time,” Jamie said.

“We were treated exceptionally by everyone at Derby County and we would like to extend our gratitude to them for that. The trip wouldn’t have been made possible without the generosity and kindness of so many people.

“It was all about giving Willie an experience he would never forget. He does so much for everyone at the club, so it was fantastic to be able to give something back to him and see just how much it meant to him.”