A lifelong St Johnstone fan who held a season ticket for 72 consecutive years has died.
Donnie McPhee, a regular in the Campbell Suite at McDiarmid Park, has passed away at the age of 93 having been diagnosed with cancer.
The club say they are “deeply saddened” at the news and are “forever grateful” for the loyalty that Donnie showed throughout the years.
St Johnstone will place a memorial plaque on his seat in the Geoff Brown Main Stand.
Donnie McPhee: St Johnstone fan enjoyed Uefa Cup games and Scottish Cup win
Donnie attended St John’s RC School but left at the age of 14 to take up his first job as a storeboy at McMurray and Archibald.
He was then called up for national service in 1949 with the Royal Army Service Corps in Egypt before returning to work for the Ministry of Defence at the Royal Naval aircraft workshops in Almondbank.
His first full season watching the Saints was in 1951/52, when the club finished 14th in the 16-team Division B.
As the years progressed, performances on the pitch improved and the team he loved watching most was the Willie Ormond side of the early to mid-1970s.
His favourite team performance was the Uefa Cup win over German giants Hamburg.
Donnie, who also proudly attended the 1969 League Cup final against Celtic at Hampden Park, ranked John Connolly, Henry Hall and Kenny Aird among his footballing favourites.
Donnie introduced his son, David, to football at Muirton Park and would regularly attend games with their ‘father and son’ season ticket.
After the move to McDiarmid Park, Donnie would save up so he could watch the action from the ‘plush’ seats.
He was joined by wife Mary, son David and granddaughter Caitlin to celebrate the club’s Scottish Cup triumph in 2014.
Following his cancer diagnosis, Donnie was invited into the stadium to watch training and meet the squad.
On his 60th wedding anniversary in September, defender Kyle Cameron paid a surprise visit to join in the celebrations at his house.
He also starred in the club’s 2024/25 season ticket promotional video.
St Johnstone CEO Francis Smith said: “Everyone at the club is truly saddened to hear of Donnie’s passing.
“The support he has given us through the years has been nothing short of incredible.
“I personally enjoyed sitting with him at games and hearing all of his wonderful stories in the Campbell Suite.
“He will be missed greatly at McDiarmid Park but the love, loyalty and passion he showed for this football club will never be forgotten.
“We send our love and condolences to Donnie’s family and friends at this sad time. They are very much in our thoughts.”
Donnie’s funeral will be held at 3pm on Wednesday November 27 at Perth Crematorium.
The family have invited fans to join them at McDiarmid Park afterwards.
A full tribute to Donnie has been shared on the St Johnstone website.
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