A long-time Ipswich Town fan received a surprise visit from the club after over 60 years supporting the team. 

Nora Cowell, 98 and of Bury St Edmunds, spent the afternoon reminiscing on the Tractor Boys' greatest moments after Sam Oakley, the team’s head of health and wellbeing, and Lauren Revill, who coaches the under-fours team, paid a visit to Care UK's Glastonbury Court care home. 

Ipswich Town was Mrs Cowell's late husband's favourite team, so she too became a fan in the 1960s.

In the following three decades she attended hundreds of matches with her husband and their son John, now preferring to watch them on TV instead. 

Mrs Cowell and her visitors looked through old matchday programmes together and chatted through the way football has evolved in the last 60 years.

She recalled how players would have “a crafty fag” at halftime, which Sam said is unthinkable today.

The Town representatives also gifted Mrs Cowell a twiddle muff in the team’s colours – a sensory knitted tool designed to help older people who may be living with dementia or have restless hands.

She said: "I had a lovely time – I could have spent ages talking to Sam and Lauren, and I felt honoured that they came to see me.

"Being able to be the one to tell my family some Ipswich news definitely made for a change." 

Ana Mihai, home manager at Glastonbury Court, said: "Nora never misses a game for Ipswich Town – although she prefers to watch from the comfort of her own home these days.

"The team is an integral part of her family’s history, so we wanted to do something special to help reminisce and reached out to the team.

"We were amazed by how many matchday stories she told Sam and Lauren, and they were too – she truly is the ultimate fan, and we’re thrilled their visit enabled her to reminisce on such happy times."