Cod Army's man in Malta on the march with Fleetwood Town

He recalled: “When we were promoted to the new Northern Premier League it was exciting times, though if I remember we never did terribly well apart from winning the NPL Cup against Macclesfield.”

After his graduation from Salford University, Michael and his wife worked as teachers overseas from the late 1970s, mostly in Africa.

They returned to the UK in the late 1980s and were based in Oxfordshire, though they managed to take in the occasional Fleetwood game when back on the Fylde coast to visit relatives.

The internet age and the arrival of fans’ messageboards helped Michael to keep in touch with the Cod Army, joining the forum as ‘Oxford Mick’.

Town’s promotions made it possible for Michael to attend more matches closer to his home, and he fondly recalls visiting Hinckley, Gloucester, Redditch and Solihull.

“You met a number of away fans behind the goal in the days when you could swap ends of the ground at half-time,” he said. “It was even better when we were promoted to the Conference. I had colleagues who supported Luton and Oxford, and there were some good away games there.”

Since retirement in 2012 Michael has had a home in Malta, though he has continued to run training courses for the Duke of Edinburgh International Awards.

On returning to the UK, he still attends matches when he can. Michael added: “I have attended all the matches against Blackpool other than this season’s, though iFollow is great!

“My best memories include the FA Vase final, all the promotions under Andy Pilley – especially getting into the League – beating Luton and Oxford away and the hospitality in the Parkside Stand.

“My most frustrating moment was that 1-0 defeat at Blackpool, when Pondy scored an own goal. We hammered them and should have won 5-0. Even our Blackpool-supporting friends – we had to sit with them! – admitted they were really lucky. You tend to forget the bad days, though, and remember the good!”

Our thanks to Bernard Noble of Fleetwood Town Official Supporters’ Club for his help with this article.