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A gran says her year has been ruined after her season ticket for Newcastle United was confiscated by match officials and sold on without her knowledge.

Lilian Held, who lives a 10-minute walk from St James’ Park, allowed her 29-year-old son Christopher to use her ticket for the Newcastle vs Southampton home game on December 14 last year. The 65-year-old, who is disabled, was on holiday at the time and needed an adult to accompany her 14-year-old twin grandaughters to the match.

But 20 minutes into the game, Christopher was approached by security staff and asked to display his ticket.

Because the ticket was for a disabled person, Christopher was ordered to leave the ground, leaving his teenage nieces behind.

He was told his mother would have to come to the stadium in order to get her ticket back.

Upon her return on December 20, Lilian went straight to St James’ Park to retrieve her ticket. But instead the lifelong Toon fan, who has irreparable damage to nerves in her back, was told her ticket had been suspended until further notice.

“I was told my ticket would be suspended while the club investigated whether my son had sat in the seat regularly,” she said. “I told them he never sits in the seat – I always sit in the seat and this was the first game I’d missed in 14 years. I only wanted the girls to be accompanied by an adult because I’m always there at home games to look after them.

“When I asked if I’d be missing the Boxing Day match, I was told I’d not only be missing that, I’d be missing the Arsenal match as well.”

It wasn’t until January 4 that Lilian heard again from the club.

She was told that her ticket was being cancelled for the rest of the season and that she would have to cough up for a full-price season ticket because her seat had been sold to somebody else.

The pensioner, who originally bought the seat for her late husband who died from lung cancer in 1999, says she has been treated appallingly by the club she loves and has supported all her life.

“I have sat in that seat for 13 years,” she said. “I’m a lifelong fan of Newcastle United and I worked for the club in the 1990s where I had my picture taken with Kevin Keegan.

“Going to the match is the only bit of social time I get. I live for those home games. Taking my ticket from me and selling my seat without giving me the right to even argue my case has completely ruined my year.”

Lilian’s daughter Nicola Breen wrote to the club on January 10, but has not yet received a response.

When approached by the Chronicle, Newcastle United declined to comment.