Liverpool-mad nan's magical journey back to Anfield after 60 years away

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Lifelong Red Patricia Mallett, who was born at her childhood home on St Albans, in Everton, on May 9, 1936, celebrated her 90th birthday surrounded by her family back inside Anfield for the first time in - by her estimate - more than 60 years.Patricia was in attendance as Liverpool drew 1-1 with Chelsea on Sat, May 9, celebrating the big day and her connection to the club she loves and now shares with her son Karl and granddaughter Alexa Mallett.Patricia's uncle Tommy was a professional footballer and she fell in love with the sport from an early age but, with her father being an Evertonian, she had to wait for one of her Liverpool-supporting uncles to take her to her first game.Recalling that first experience, the very different scene in the stands left just as much - or more - of an impression than what happened on the pitch.Patricia, now of Woodbridge, Suffolk, told the ECHO: "All I can remember was obviously it wasn't the kind of class that it is now, you know, the men in caps and you had a rail and very few toilets."The men - well, I don't think I should say what I'm going to say - for a man, it was easier to not bother going to the toilet. Though it was a tough decision to leave her lifelong home behind, she found solace in her family and the passion they shared for Liverpool.Patricia said: "I miss Liverpool greatly.

Obviously it was really tough for my nan to go through, they were really close."My aunt lived in Liverpool with her kids, so had always been really close to her, whereas me and my dad have always lived in the Suffolk and Essex area."So I've always been a bit far away, but we would go up and visit her a couple of times a year if we could, maybe a bit more, which was nice."And then we'd always be talking about the football and everything - and ever since she's moved down, we're constantly watching it together and she's always texting me about it."When we won the league last year, she was so excited, bless her."Though she was born in Surrey, Karl told the ECHO that Alexa very quickly found a "passion for our heritage" in adopting Liverpool as her team.This has since become a core part of the connection Alexa and Patricia share. And as you know, it's very special for a granddaughter and a grandmother to have a connection in that way."After months of reaching out to players, club staff and sponsors, Alexa was eventually able to persuade LFC sponsor AXA to help secure tickets for the family that met Patricia's accessibility needs, and the three attended along with Patricia's brother, the Wirral-based artist Terry Duffy.Despite a disappointing result and one of the most toxic atmospheres of the season as fans in the stadium audibly lost patience with then-manager Arne Slot, Patricia's awe at entering the ground was the memory she chose to hold onto.Patricia told the ECHO: "I don't walk terribly well, and there's a couple of steps.

I mean the expense, and they go so high."And, of course, when the crowd starts singing You'll Never Walk Alone - well, that just does it for me every time."That experience is as close to recapturing the feeling of attending your first game as anyone is likely to come - a truly priceless gift for a much-loved mother and grandmother.Alexa described Patricia as "an incredible woman - the most glamorous nan."She said: "I love her, she's great. She's the person that everyone loves - she's very outgoing, very typical of Liverpool cuddlers if you know what I mean; she wants to cuddle everyone, put her arm around everyone and give them advice when they need it - or sometimes when they don't."Louise Isaacs, chief customer and communications officer at AXA UK, said: "We are always looking for ways to give back to the fans through our sponsorship, and when a truly special story finds its way to us, we love to make it count so we were delighted to help the Mallett family make this milestone birthday even more special for Patricia with tickets to the LFC game."Football has such a unique way of bringing generations together and we're proud to have played a small part in creating a lifelong memory for Patricia as she celebrated her 90th birthday back watching her favourite football team with her loved ones."