IPSWICH Town was his passion and Kevin Beattie was his hero.Now lifelong Blues fan Brian Mills will never miss another game after having his ashes buried beneath the Portman Road turf with 'The Beat' turning out to honour his devotion to the cause.

IPSWICH Town was his passion and Kevin Beattie was his hero.

Now lifelong Blues fan Brian Mills will never miss another game after having his ashes buried beneath the Portman Road turf with 'The Beat' turning out to honour his devotion to the cause.

Mr Mills, who died in a road accident in July on the A14 between Sproughton and Whitehouse, is laid to rest behind the goal only yards away from his season ticket seat in the old Churchman's end.

The 58-year-old, of Fisher Road, Diss, perished when his VW Polo was collided with a lorry, before bursting into flames.

Even though Mr Mills never got to meet his hero, Beattie was delighted to pay tribute to him and make a special wish come true.

Beattie said: “Camilla Haycock (the club's press officer) came to me and said he had died and that I was his favourite player.

“She asked if it would be possible for me to go along and I thought it would be an absolute pleasure.

“He is buried near the goal at the Churchman's end so he won't miss any more matches.

“My brother died a couple of weeks ago, so when they requested me to go along I was simply honoured to agree.”

A spokeswoman for Ipswich Town said: “Mr Mills' brother Richard called up and said Kevin Beattie was a hero of his and would he be able to attend the interment. Kevin was honoured to be asked.”

Mr Mills watched 'The Beat' in awe in the 70s and 80s when his commanding performances at the heart of Ipswich's defence won him plaudits and a host of international caps.

Mr Mills, who was one of 13 people to scoop £118,156 on the lottery in May 2004, had been on his way to work at Menzies Distribution, in Ransomes Industrial Estate, Ipswich, on July 28 when the tragedy occurred.

He was a full-time warehouse packer and had worked at the company for 32 years.

Mr Mills was described by his colleagues as “well-liked and highly-respected”.

David Bowman, general manager, said he was a “first-class employee”.

He added: “We have more than 100 people work for us but he was very well-known and will be sorely missed by management, colleagues and friends at the branch.”

Do you want to pay tribute to Brian Mills? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk