Doncaster Rovers superfan in 12 hour, 700 mile trip - only to see them lose

Journalist Jack Peat used trams, trains and planes to get to Rovers’ game at Barrow in Cumbria last night – even flying to Dublin in Ireland at one stage on the marathon trip which only cost him £30.

Jack, founder and editor of the London Economic, decided to put his financial resourcefulness to the test when he priced up the cost of a trip from his home in London to one of football’s far-flung outposts – and realised it would cost him a whopping £389, saying he wanted to take on the journey to highlight ‘absurd’ UK rail fares – as well as to show his dedication to his beloved Rovers.

But while he was treated to a meeting with manager Gary McSheffrey and the Rovers players in the dressing room ahead of last night’s EFL League Two clash, Jack’s big day out ended in disappointment as his red and white heroes slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat.

Watch Jack meet Gary McSheffrey and the Rovers players HERE

His marathon journey began at 6.30am from his home in Beckenham, taking a tram and train to get to London’s Gatwick Airport.

From there, it was a £10 flight to Dublin in Ireland – before another short hop back across the Irish Sea to Manchester Airport on a flight that cost him 9 Euros.

Then it was onto the railways, taking a train from Manchester to arrive in Barrow 12 hours after he’d set off, skirting around picturesque Morecambe Bay on his way to the match.

And there was a surprise waiting for him when he arrived at the club’s Holker Street stadium, being invited into the dressing room where he shook hands with manager Gary McSheffrey and was given a round of applause by players.

Sky Sports presenter and commentator Neil Mellor also arranged for an interview on the pitch ahead of the match.

Jack, who has also penned a book called The Great Pie Revolt: A Gastronomic Guide to the Premier League and EFL, kept fans updated throughout his odyssey, sharing pictures and updates as he made his way north.

Ahead of his journey he tweeted: “I really wanted to watch @drfc_official in Barrow tonight, but there's no way I was paying up to £389 to get there on the train.

“So I've planned an alternative route to highlight three things.

“1 - My love for #DRFC (obv)

“2 - My eagerness to try the best pies in Britain

“3 - How utterly absurd UK rail fares are.”

Tweeting a picture of Rovers players training ahead of the game and on the completion of his journey, he said: “This might be the Guinness talking, but I bloody love this club.”

The ground is one of Britain’s footballing outposts, situated at the tip of the Furness peninsula.

Rovers fans travelling from Doncaster faced a trip of more than three hours to reach the stadium, which is approximately 170 miles from South Yorkshire.