A LUTON TOWN superfan has fulfilled a promise to his late dad following the club’s promotion to the Premier League.
The Hatters were promoted to England’s top flight for the first time in their history after a penalty shootout win against Coventry in the Championship play-off final in May.
SWNSMicky Hyde got a Luton Town tattoo on the back of his head[/caption]
SWNSHe got it following the club’s promotion to the Premier League[/caption]
SWNSMicky’s father Terry died aged 49[/caption]
SWNSHe promised his dad [in the hat] to get the tattoo when he was just 16[/caption]
Mike Hyde, 37, has been a fan of the club since his childhood and would to the pub to watch the matches with his father, Terry.
During one trip to the local pub in 2002, Micky told his dad that he would get the club’s badge “tattooed on his head” when they make it to the Premier League.
To which his father claimed that he did not think it would happen in his lifetime.
Micky told Luton Today: “He [Terry] died 10 years later at 49 from sudden death syndrome [SADS] and since then we’ve just been climbing and now we’re here.
“I just knew we were going to get to the Prem in my lifetime and that’s the tattoo I wanted to get in memory of my dad.
“The day after the open-top bus parade, I brought a job forward doing a patio at a woman’s house and she told me she was a tattooist.
“The next minute I heard my dad in my head saying ‘go on son, get it done’.”
Trudi Woodward, the tattoo artist, agreed to ink his head with the Luton badge.
GettyLuton Town beat Coventry in the Championship play-off final[/caption]
SWNSMicky and fiance Lisa-Marie White are due to get married in August[/caption]
She told the BBC that she did try “putting him of having it done on his head” but insisted that he “took it like a champ”.
The Hatters‘ tattoo took two hours to ink onto the back of Micky’s head, but he insisted that this one was the most painful.
However, he was able to get through the pain as he claimed he had his “dad in his head smiling down”.
Micky’s dad was a football coach for 30 years in Luton and also worked as a steward at the club’s ground, Kenilworth Road.
SWNSHowever Lisa does not want any pictures of the back of Micky’s head from the day[/caption]
Micky, who has five children, is due to get married to partner Lisa-Marie White in August and she “didn’t fall out” with him as she understands why he got the tattoo.
However, she has insisted that no photos are taken of them from behind during the wedding day.
Luton’s rise to the Premier League has been remarkable considering only ten years ago they were in the National League.
And Micky is confident that the club will continue to grow and improve as he promises to get another tattoo every time they “do something good”.