A FAMILIAR face to many Oldham Athletic fans has died of Covid.

Michael Devine, of Ripponden Road, died at the Royal Oldham Hospital on Sunday, after being admitted there over Christmas with a rare cancer he had been battling with over the past four years.

Fans are likely to remember Mike from his time at Boundary Park, where he was employed part-time as a steward, initially on the terraces, before moving to the front entrance and later the directors’ lounge.

His brother Pete said: “Mike was totally dedicated to the job and was the type of person you wanted on the front door when a calm, cool head was called for to deal with visiting players, managers, directors and sometimes irate fans.

“He mentioned to me the day when an American owner took over at Boundary Park and decided that as a gesture, and to get more fans through the turnstiles, a pre-season match would be free.

"Latics fans not wanting to miss out on a freebie, packed the stadium and more particularly occupied the seats assigned to season ticket holders, who subsequently surrounded the front entrance to make their feelings known to Mike and the club.”

According to Pete, his late brother revelled in the glory days at Boundary Park and in Joe Royle’s reign at the club, which involved many amazing league and FA Cup matches.

“I think one of the stand out things for him was that Latics were able to remain a family club throughout its time in the top tier and even after its drop back into the lower leagues.”

Born in North Manchester’s Miles Platting district, Mike, attended St Edmunds RC School and after leaving school went to work at an electronics firm in Moss Side, before switching careers after taking on a manager’s role at a William Hill betting shop in Oldham.

Pete added: “I remember him coming home one day from Oldham with a live lamb, which a farmer/punter had wanted rid of. It was a black sheep and was the runt of the litter, which said much about Mike’s ability to count everyone as his friend, even the four-legged kind.

"At the time we lived on a council estate in Blackley where the neighbours didn’t take too kindly to being woken up by sounds of Snowy, as he was christened, bleating because he hadn’t been fed and he was promptly shipped off to Heaton Park, to make as much noise as he wanted with new four-legged friends.”

Later Mike went to work in the accounts department at the former Thomson Newspapers in Manchester’s, Withy Grove, and more latterly in a similar role at the Manchester Evening News.

He was forced into early retirement from his part-time job at Oldham Athletic in 2016 after he developed health problems, which was eventually diagnosed as a rare form of blood cancer.

Mike is survived by lifelong partner Jill, brothers Pete and Gerard and sister Patricia as well as nieces and nephews.