IN 25 years on the turnstiles at St George’s Lane, Mary Gardiner has seen a few sights – but she had few bigger surprises than the day in 1990 when a tall, good looking man in a suit stopped to say hello.

“I just didn’t know who it was,” said Mary.

“Then someone told me it was Joe Jackson.”

At the time, Jackson, who played in midfield for City from 1988 to 1991, was one of the best-known faces at the club.

“Oh, I did like Joe Jackson,” she said.

“But I didn’t recognise him off the pitch. I said, ‘I didn’t recognise you with your kit off’ and we both had a good laugh. He was a lovely chap.”

Mary first went to the Lane in the 1988-89 season to help Brian Mullen, whom she was to marry, who had been assisting the club on match days for many years.

She said: “I started off in the stands, but then got asked if I could work on the turnstiles and I’ve been there ever since.” The ground has seven turnstile entrances, of which five are in regular use.

The highest number Mary has ever had through her revolving gate was 1,300 for the match against Huddersfield Town in 2005, when the day’s total attendance was 4,167.

“That was a busy day,” she said. “But we coped.”

After her husband died, Mary, who lives in Randwick Drive, Warndon, maintained her connection with the football club by marrying its former kitman Kevin Gardiner in 2007.

“I’ve loved my time working at St George’s Lane,” she said.

“I don’t know how things will work when Worcester City use the Kidderminster ground.

“Maybe they will have their own staff there.

“All our supporters have been asking if I will be going to Kidderminster, because they all know me as a familiar face, but at the moment I just don’t know.”

Mary has lived in Worcester all her life – never very far from Worcester City’s home ground.

So the club had better get sorted out with a new base in the city pretty soon if it wants to keep its longest-serving lady on the gate, because match days wouldn’t be the same without her.