Lifelong Leeds United fan paints garden blue and yellow ahead of opening match against Manchester United rivals

Andy Lubgan, of Alwoodley, began doing his garden up in his beloved Whites colours five years ago, adding more and more hand-painted detail as time went on.

The 61-year-old recently added the finishing touches and spruced up the paintwork in preparation for the opening match against rivals Manchester United on Saturday.

Father-of-two Andy said: "I've topped it up a little bit in the last couple of months since we got promoted, but I've always had bits and pieces in the garden like the gates and I like to paint so the gate for example is all hand-painted and the brickwork.

"It's just to brighten up the area really and it's not so bad because I'm in a cul-de-sac right at the bottom so it's not in everyone's face."

Andy, who went to his first Leeds match at 10-years-old in 1970, also recently received his and son Joe's custom Leeds flag back, after it was put up in the Elland Road stands last season.

He said: "The flag went up as soon as we got promoted and it goes up on special occasions. I've had my England flag out this summer.

"When we couldn't go to the games I brought that big flag down to Elland Road and they put it up in the ground.

"I went to pick it up yesterday, and they were so helpful and can you believe how good Leeds are now that they said they'd washed and ironed every flag in the ground before giving them back to people.

"It's the attention to detail and things that people don't even think about or see that I think make us the club that we are now."

Andy, who is a retired former NHS worker, is looking forward to getting back into the stands with friends and son Joe, aged 29.

The home and away season ticket holder said: "It was one of the biggest disappointments of our lives that we couldn't be there when we got promoted.

"We were there when we lost at Bolton and we went down but we weren't there when we went up.

"It would have been so emotional, but we are there now and we will enjoy tomorrow."

He added: "We're all excited for tomorrow's match [at Old Trafford], the coach goes about half-past nine.

"Me and my friend are away season ticket holders so we go to every game.

"We're excited and we're not apprehensive anymore because we are not punching about our weight anymore, we're actually punching our weight because I think they're that good.

"I've never been more confident with the management team that we've got in at the moment.

"My son's a season ticket holder at home so he will come for that game. We are looking forward to it. "

How does Andy feel about the future for Leeds United? He says he feels hopeful with Marcelo Bielsa in charge.

He said: "To Bielsa, I would say keep doing what he's doing because he's lifted our city when we've been through hard times.

"For those 16 years when we're weren't in that division, he has now given us hope and belief in Leeds again.

"I think Leeds is on the upwards trail now. "