A local amateur chorister has beaten off rivals from across the UK to sing at the FA Cup final at Wembley in May.

Ely Standard: BBC FA cup final fans choir.BBC FA cup final fans choir. (Image: Archant)

Stuart Green has been chosen after entering a joint BBC Sport and Songs of Praise national competition to find people to represent their clubs in a fans choir.

Mr Green will represent his birth town of Southport and be among other fans singing the cup final hymn, Abide With Me, at the 2015 FA Cup Final.

He said: “I went twice to Wembley last season to watch Cambridge Utd but never imagined that a year later I would be on the pitch singing as part of the fans choir in front of 90 000.

“Although I have lived in Cambridgeshire since 1987 and Sutton since 1996, I originate from Southport and have supported them all my life.”

The competition was an open application for fans of clubs that reached round three to apply to join a fan choir.

The challenge was to write an FA Cup story about their connection with the club and Mr Green was picked after writing about a day trip to Derby outlining his passion for his club.

He said: “I sing with Sing!Choirs. This is a local choir led by the inspirational Kathryn Roland. I have only been in it for one year during which we have sung at Tattersals Sales Ring, in front of 800 people in Ely Cathedral, The Royal Festival Hall and we even had an audition for a West End production of Godspell.

“It has made me realise how uplifting singing can be and given me the confidence to do so.”

Mr Green said he goes to matches as he still has family in the Southport area and he also gets to many away games, particularly since Southport have been back in the Conference National.

“One thing is for certain, the passion still burns!” he said.

“When I step out onto that hallowed turf, donned in my Southport FC shirt, that’s what I’ll be - proud to be there, proud to represent the club and above all proud to be a Sandgrounder.”