Express & Star

Wolves Fan of the Season is pushing his senses

“Even though it’s not the best, I can still rely on the things which I did when I could see.”

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Those are the words of Dylan Stevens, aged 44, who was won this year’s Wolves Fan of the Season, in conjunction with the Express & Star.

He gradually lost his sight after being diagnosed with a brain tumour 13 years ago, but that has not stopped him from visiting his beloved Molineux – travelling down on the train from Manchester.

Dylan holds a season ticket, sits in the Stan Cullis Stand and is helped through games by his sister, Alana, and Signal 107’s commentary with Mikey Burrows and Andy Thompson.

He has even visited nine new grounds this campaign too, taking his total to 57.

“A lot of people used to say to me ‘Why are you going there?’ and I put it down to five things,” said Dylan.

“I was seeing the football and how tactics work; meeting new people; travelling to new places; having a beer; and a great atmosphere.

“Now, because I can’t see, I have still got the other four like I always did. Even though it’s not the best, I can still rely on the things which I did when I could see.

“I also used to like the organising of it all, up until around a year and half ago I still had a little bit of sight so I would organise which pubs we were going in, which way to the ground, tickets, where we were sitting. It wasn’t just the 90 minutes of the game, it was the preparation.

“It’s a long way to go, even though it’s only an hour and 10 minutes now, just for 90 minutes of football. I like to hang around before and stay later, so it’s a full day you look forward to.”

And he joked: “Most of the time, what’s on the pitch isn’t that great anyway.”

Dylan was diagnosed shortly after the birth of his daughter, Amelia, and did go without a season ticket for a while, but made a ‘concerted effort’ to get back in the thick of it when Wolves dropped to League One for the 2013/14 season.

“Originally, I went on my own to games. Then it was with my nephew, Chandler, and then my daughter was born in 2003,” he said.

“I found out about eight months later about my eyes so obviously I was concentrating on that. I was diagnosed that I had a tumour, in my head, that was going down my optic nerve.

“They said they could not operate as it would have made me go blind straight away.

“They did not know how the progression of the tumour would be, even though it was benign – I have had radiotherapy – I did not know if I would be blind in one year, 10 years or 20 years.

“It has gradually got worse. My left eye went in about 2009, and it was only the beginning of this season that my right eye totally went.”

He added: “I’m not saying I went every season but when they went down to League One, I thought I would make a concerted effort and my dad, Alan, started coming with me.

“Over the last three seasons, he got heavily involved. but he had a stroke so he is struggling himself. This season, my sister, Alana, has stepped up to the plate, takes me every week.

“Even then, I can remember going to the Birmingham game (away ,on August 20 of last year). I couldn’t have gone on my own, my nephew went with me, but I could walk to the toilet on my own, just about.

“Now it is just walking in the dark, but I think I have been to nine new grounds this season – 57 I have been to now.”

Some of the stand-out memories for Dylan supporting Wolves are the Division One play-off final win over Sheffield United in Cardiff in 2003, and the 1-0 win at MK Dons in 2014 – with 9,000 of the gold and black faithful on hand.

“For what was at stake, the play-off final the best. Even at 3-0 up, I still didn’t think we were going to win,” he said.

“The best recent memory was the MK Dons game, when we took 9,000. Me and my dad went to that and it was brilliant, although they didn’t serve beer inside the place.”

Dylan, who grew up around Manchester United fans, loves Wolves just as much as he always did. He has not let losing his sight drag him down.

He added: “I have got an early bird for next season. As long as someone comes with me, I’ll do it – and I have friends, me. All my mates used to say ‘right, you have had your fun, United are winning everything now’ but it’s not about just winning, it’s about everything. It’s about travel, meeting new people, going to new places – although most of them are dumps. I have dragged them all along, and even some United fans understand the appeal now.”

Find out how Dylan's love for Wolves grew here.