Chelsea fan missed her first game for 34 YEARS because it is too expensive - but it's not all that bad as Blues go on to lose 3-2



Wherever you turn, modern football has its critics. People complaining about all-seater stadiums, restrictions on smoke bombs and players only in the game for the cash.

Perhaps the most persistent complaint about modern football is the cost for the supporter.



After all, they are the people who go to the games, buy the programmes and season tickets. Without them the millions watching on TV would essentially be seeing 22 men kicking a ball around in front of lots of seats - which would look absurd.

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On tour: Cathy McDonnell with Chelsea defender Colin Pates on the pre-season tour of Sweden in 1982

Win or lose, up the Blues: Cathy in Moscow at the 2008 Champions League final which Chelsea lost

And despite the millions of pounds in TV rights money each team accrues, their supporters still generate a fair bit of revenue.

But sometimes even the most loyal cannot justify spending hundreds of pounds on following their side.

Cathy McDonnell, 51, is a Chelsea supporter who has been to every single competitive game, home and away, for 34 years. Her first game was in 1972, seeing Chelsea beat Spurs 1-0 at White Hart Lane.

But on Thursday night, when Frank Lampard and Co walked onto the pitch at the Luzhniki Stadium, in Moscow, Cathy was back in SW6.

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Paul Close has followed Chelsea every step of the way on their worldwide adventure this season, and is currently packing his bags for Russia. He told Sportsmail the reason behind many Blues fans’ decision to give the Europa League tie a miss. 'I'd guess only about 20 Chelsea fans from England will go - the rest will be Russian Chelsea fans,’ he said. 'The last time we went to Moscow, to play Spartak in 2010, there were 3,000 in the Chelsea end but only about three or four hundred from England. 'It took so long to find out where we were actually going to be playing, and with a visa to sort out on top of that it gets a bit much. 'If there were people having doubts about going, then the situation with the stadium and the visa has made their minds up, as well as the fact Chelsea fans have been to Moscow numerous times. 'I know loads of people who go to most games, like Cath, that aren't going. 'I decided to go when the draw was made, there are three of us who have done all the overseas games this season. 'I wasn't too happy when Rubin came out of the hat. I'm not overwhelmed by Moscow as a city. I'm hoping to see something this time I haven't seen before.'

And the cost is the main reason she had to miss the Europa League quarter-final second-leg clash with Rubin Kazan.

She told Sportsmail: 'I am gutted that I will be missing my first game on Thursday evening in Moscow for 34 years.

'This is mainly due to the expense of the trip and the extra cost of £100 for the visa, and due to the fact I haven't worked for three years after being made redundant and have developed arthritis in my knees and hips.

'I would need a chauffeur to get me around Moscow and I know that isn't possible so have had to admit defeat.'

When you throw together the cost of the flights, visa, ticket accommodation and transfers, you are looking at around - or more than - £600.

She added: 'I would not like to hazard a guess about how much this support has cost me but imagine I could probably own several houses by now!

'Nevertheless, I am proud of my support, and particularly the fact that I'm a woman - well, a bit of a tomboy!

'I will be cheering the team on in the Kings Head, Fulham Broadway, where I used to drink in the early days of my support, and will be surrounded by friends I have met during that support.

'I'm down but certainly not out. Win or lose, up the Blues!'

Not travelling to Russia - where she has already been three times - is not a decision Cathy took lightly.

She is one of countless people to have made countless sacrifices to follow their sides, over land and sea.

Cathy explained: 'I have attended every home game since I was 14 and every away since I was 16, even though I didn't start working for a bank until I was 18 years old.

'All my holidays and money were taken up with following Chelsea.

'I went by myself on a pre-season tour to Sweden in 1981 when aged 19 and made life-long friends from that tour.

Over land and sea (and Leicester): Cathy has been to every competitive game for 34 years Writing to the programme

'In-between times, I had several relationships which ended because of my support, notably one where my fiance said, "It's either me or Chelsea!" - and naturally Chelsea won

'I have missed family weddings, christenings, funerals etc. so have not been popular with my mother who regards my support as, "Worse than a drug - it's a bloody obsession!"'

Cathy recalls her days in the Shed, back in the late Seventies. Back when to get into the stadium it cost 50p, rather than £50.

'From the age of 12, I advised my mother that I was going to "a friend's house" when in fact I was going to the Bridge and it was there I met the terrace legends like Mickey Greenaway who was famed for singing "Zigger Zagger" and Cliffy Webb who named the Shed, and was in awe of them.

'At the time it was only 50p to go into the ground and my first season ticket bought in 1978 was £20 for the Shed.

'I listened intently to both these guys and learned the words of the songs and still sing them to this day.

'From the age of 14 I was a regular at Stamford Bridge and even made trips to the Midlands and up north on the Chelsea "special" trains. I even attended a lot of youth and reserve games and also England games.

Dream start: Roberto Di Matteo smashed home after just 42 seconds as Chelsea won the 1997 FA Cup

'After many years of winning nothing in the early days of my support, I was overcome with emotion and stayed in the stadium for over an hour at the end when we finally won the FA cup (in 1997 against Middlesborough).

'Before that, the greatest achievement was winining the Full Members Cups and staying in the Second Division after Clive Walker scored at Bolton.

'I was lucky enough to obtain Mickey Droy's shirt, which I still have to this day and of course had to endure all the times we got promoted and demoted from the First Division.'

But good things come to those who wait and Chelsea won the trophy they had been waiting for in May 2012.

With club legend Roberto Di Matteo at the helm - the same man whose goal after 42 seconds sent the club on the way to winning that FA Cup in 1997 - they beat Bayern Munich, in Munich.

Pure delight: Cathy in Munich for Chelsea's 2012 Champions League triumph

Best boys in blue

My favourite player of all time is definitely Gianfranco Zola.

Not only did he bring real football to the club, he also had a massive influence on youngsters like John Terry.

I loved Peter Osgood - the reason I started supporting the club - the madness of Petar Borota and his fantastic performance at Upton Park when West Ham had 21 corners and we won 1-0.

Also great were the genius signings of Eddie Niedzwiecki, Joey Jones and Mickey Thomas followed by Mark Hughes, Gullit and Vialli.

And finally Drogba, Cech, JT and Lamps, without whom we would have never won the Champions League.

Cathy McDonnell

'Have gone through all the heartache of losing to Barcelona, Liverpool and Monaco and believing we were not destined to win the Champions League, that night in the Allianz Arena was the best evening of my life,' explained Cathy.

'I bumped into Paul who I used to travel on the specials with at the end of the game. We jumped up and down, cried, hugged each other and said, "This beats Rotherham away when we lost 6-0 all those years ago". And it certainly did!'

Chelsea just managed to get through against Rubin - a 3-2 defeat saw them go through 5-4 on aggregate - and a tie against either Tottenham or Newcastle is now possible.

Progress again and with the final in Amsterdam - a shorter flight, more accessible, cheaper to reach - Cathy will be going.

While she is sad to miss her first match for 34 years, maybe Cathy will view it as a well deserved rest.

After all, it's back into the breach for a semi-final appearance at Wembley on Sunday.