A PRIEST will celebrate his 90th birthday in style - with tickets to watch his beloved Blackburn Rovers in Europe.

Football fanatic the Rev Tecwyn Jones received scores of gifts from parishioners at Immanuel Church in Feniscowles.

But the one he is treasuring the most is the tickets for Rovers' home match against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA cup next Thursday.

Mr Jones, who is retired but still occasionally leads services at the Pleasington Lane church, used to attend Ewood Park matches regularly.

But now after more than two years away from games he is set to return.

As well as donating the tickets kind parishioners have also organised it so that Mr Jones can have the full five-star treatment when he attends the tough second-leg knockout match.

He will be wined and dined with a meal before the match in the Legends' Lounge before watching the game from the suite in the Darwen End.

Mr Jones, who lives in Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn, said: "It was a wonderful surprise and totally unexpected."

He celebrated his birthday last Wednesday with a parish party and a family get-together the previous Sunday.

His wife Freda died two years ago but family including daughter Dr Glenys Jones, 61, and son Tudor Jones, 59, were among family from across the country who attended.

Mr Jones was born near Wrexham and first came to Blackburn in 1970 as vicar at St Luke's Church and chaplain at St Wilfrid's School and has worked across the town since.

Immanuel vicar the Rev Philip Davison said: "Tecwyn is very popular."