JAPAN'S number one Rovers fan Takeshi Yamamoto is cutting short his holiday and flying half way round the world to watch his football heroes in action on Sunday.

Takeshi holidayed in Mexico before flying to Washington but he is shortening his States trip to return to Ewood Park for the weekend match against Coventry.

And Takeshi will be celebrating his 27th birthday in Blackburn with a party at the Ellerbeck Hotel, Wellington Street St Johns, where he will stay.

The hotel owners Deborah and Ken Elvin will give him a new Rovers away kit as a present and a blue-and-white supporters cake!

Deborah said: "I cannot believe he is coming all this way just for a weekend to watch Rovers!

"He will spend 19 hours on a plane for one game. He idolises Rovers. Hopefully they will do him justice and win the match."

Television director Takeshi, who arrives at Manchester Airport on Saturday morning, holidayed alone because his new wife Kayo is recovering from a kidney infection at their home in Sakura City.

Deborah and Ken hope to take Takeshi to a race meeting as well as treating him to the birthday meal which he will enjoy with the couple's friends, relations and children Adam, eight, and Hazel, six.

Deborah, who plans to visit Takeshi in Japan with her family, said: "Everything has to fit in around the Rovers match!"

The blue and white strip attracted Takeshi to Blackburn Rovers in 1994.

He has been following them ever since, flying to Britain for matches and even having his marriage blessed at the ground.

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