South Korean Football Manager fan travels 5,500 miles to watch Chesterfield FC

  • Video report by Chris Dawkes.

A football fan from South Korea who became obsessed with Chesterfield FC thanks to a video game has travelled more than 5,000 miles to watch them play.

Yang Sijun began supporting the Spireites from halfway around the world after he took up the role of club boss on the game Football Manager.

Now, for the first time, he has had the chance to watch his League Two heroes first-hand after flying more than 12 hours from East Asia to North Derbyshire with his brother.

Yang, 22, said: "I first got to know Chesterfield because of the game Football Manager. In the game Chesterfield asked me to be their manager and I accepted.

"I won the Premier League and the Champions League and since then I thought Chesterfield has lots of potential to go up the leagues, so I have started supporting them."

Yang, who comes from the Gyeongsang Province in the south of his home country, cites James Barry as his favourite Chesterfield player.

The brothers' first Chesterfield game ended in a 3-0 defeat at MK Dons. Credit: Chesterfield FC

While running the team virtually on Football Manager he says he won 12 consecutive Premier League titles, nine Champions League trophies and the FA Cup seven times.

However, the reality of following a side in the lower reaches of the football league quickly hit home as Yang's first game in person ended in a 3-0 defeat to MK Dons.

He said: "It was a shame that we lost however it was a great memory. Lots of local fans welcomed me."

Things picked up for Yang when he got to meet some of the team back at Chesterfield's SMH Group Stadium.

"It was really fantastic," he said. "I really appreciated how kindly they welcomed me. It was a very memorable moment."

And he got to see the side secure an emphatic 3-0 win at home against Tranmere - and was introduced to the crowd on the pitch at halftime - before retuning to Korea.

Defender Jamie Grimes paid tribute to Yang's commitment. He said: "I'm amazed - it's incredible. It shows the Spireites are getting halfway across the world."

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