AFC Bournemouth legend Steve Fletcher has led the tributes to lifelong Cherries fan and journalist Pat Symes, who has sadly died at the age of 71.
Weymouth-born Pat watched his first Cherries game in April 1959, a 3-3 draw at home to Swindon, the start of a 63-year love affair.
Hugely respected by his peers, Pat reported on the club’s highs and lows for national newspapers, radio and television for almost four decades.
He also helped Fletcher write his weekly column for the Daily Echo’s Sports Pink newspaper in the early 2000s.
Fletcher said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Pat Symes. He was an outstanding journalist and a lovely guy to deal with.
“I used to write a column in the Sports Pink with Pat and we had some great laughs, reminiscing about some of our games and some of the personalities connected with the club.
“He was a supporter of the Cherries and followed the club's fortunes, both professionally and as a fan.
“He was also an excellent author and I remember him writing a book about Malcolm Marshall, the Hampshire and West Indies cricketer.
“I would like to send my deepest condolences to Pat's family and friends. He will be missed greatly and the world of journalism has lost one of the good guys.”
Despite a brave and lengthy battle with illness, Pat was still a regular and friendly face in the press box at Vitality Stadium (always Dean Court to him!) and attended his final game on Saturday April 23rd, the 1-1 draw at home to Fulham.
He also contributed to the fans’ fund to save the club from folding in the 1990s.
In 2015, Pat co-wrote ‘Bournemouth Match of My Life’, a book reliving the Cherries’ most famous matches through the eyes of former greats including Ted MacDougall, John Williams, Tommy Elphick and Eddie Howe. (Pat is pictured above with Callum Wilson at the book signing).
Newcastle United boss Howe paid tribute to Pat when he said: “I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Pat Symes.
"The south coast has lost a true giant of journalism. He will be missed and I send my thoughts to his friends and family at this difficult time.”
Alex Crook, Pat’s co-author and former colleague at M & Y News Agency, where he was a director for more than 30 years, said: “As well as being a genius writer and reporter, Pat was simply a brilliant person.
“Anyone lucky enough to call him a friend and enjoy a pint or a pizza with him will miss him dearly.
“Pat loved the world of journalism and was a fantastic mentor to many young reporters, including myself so his legacy will live on through all of us who benefitted from his expert tutorage.
“He also loved the Cherries and seeing them promoted to the Premier League and being able to cover them in the top flight was more than he ever dared to dream was possible.
“Even in his final days he was anxious to know how their preparations were going ahead of the new season.
“He even joked that one of his regrets would be that he would now not get the chance to see his beloved club play in Europe!”
Pat will be forever fondly remembered by wife Linda, daughter Aimee, sons Paul and John and grandchildren Rosa, Josie, Olivia, Tom, Sebastian, Dylan, Kai and Fenix.
AFC Bournemouth would like to extend their condolences to Pat's family and friends.
