A lifetime supporter of St Albans Football Club has been remembered by fellow fans following his recent death.

Herts Advertiser: St Albans City observe a minute's silence prior to their game with Chippenham Town in memory of long-standing Saints supporter Ken Allen. Picture: BOB WALKLEYSt Albans City observe a minute's silence prior to their game with Chippenham Town in memory of long-standing Saints supporter Ken Allen. Picture: BOB WALKLEY (Image: Archant)

Ken Allen, who supported the club for more than 70 years, was born in St Albans and attended Fleetville Junior School, close to his home in Hedley Road, before attending Beaumont School.

For most of his life, Ken worked on the railways, working on the Bedford to St Pancras line, and also worked for aviation company Handley Page.

He drove the ‘Hemelite’ train on the Hemel Hempstead to Harpenden line, now known as the Nickey Line, which he described as the happiest time of his working life. He went on to work at Buttles builders merchants before retiring in 2005.

Ken supported St Albans Football Club from the late 1940s. Lee Wood, chair of the club, said: “Ken has seen many ups and downs (as we all have) over the years.

“Ken was a member of the St Albans City FC Supporters’ Club committee for 10 years and helped run the club’s shop for 13 years, where there was always a welcoming face to greet you.

“RIP Ken, we will all miss your smiling face. You will never be forgotten.”

Ken’s lifelong friend Dave Miles said: “He struggled with Parkinson’s Disease over the past few years but he still managed to get down to the football.

“He used to go down there with his dad when he was a young lad. He and his dad used to go and ride their bikes out to watch teams.

“We used to get about four people in a car and go and watch games together, going with lots of other supporters to away games.”

Ken was also a supporter of Wolves FC, and would go on holiday with Dave and several other friends to watch games.

Dave said: “He tried to get to as many games as he could. He loved all that. We both lived in Fleetville together when I was 10 or 11 and he was about 15 or 16, and we used to have a kick-about at the rec [the play area opposite Morrisons] in Fleetville on a Sunday morning - there were loads of us, must have been about 30 or 40 people.

“Then we used to go drinking and he set up a darts team at the Rat’s Castle playing friendlies.”

Ken is survived by his wife Pauline, who he met in the Blue Anchor in Fishpool Street and was married to for nearly 50 years, as well as their children Michael and Jane, son-in-law Paul and grandchildren Kieran and Amie.