A LIFELONG Swindon Town fan, whose hopes of flying thousands of miles to attend the Wembley game were dashed, has turned around the predicament – by throwing a big match party at his home in Australia.

Lee Bizley, 31, originally from Gorse Hill, had nearly booked the tickets to take his family to the play-off final when his boss said he could not have the time off work.

But now – thanks to a friend at an Australian sports network – he is preparing to watch the game live Down Under with dozens of neighbours, friends and family.

Speaking from his home in Melbourne, Lee said: “I have literally just got over it, that’s the honest truth.

“When Swindon beat Charlton, I was on the phone saying I’m coming back and my family was saying I am really looking forward to seeing you.

“Then to go to work and to have that feeling dashed away, it was hard for a couple of days.

“That fact that Swindon are on TV and I’m having the party eases the pain a bit.”

Lee, who has been a Swindon fan since the age of five, has attended both the matches the Town has played at Wembley since he has been alive.

He was in the crowd when Swindon beat Sunderland 1-0 in 1990 and was also in the stands when the Reds won 4-3 over Leicester in 1993.

Lee emigrated Down Under three years ago with his wife Charlotte Bizley, 29, and their son Ciaran, seven, also a major Swindon supporter.

He has been unable to attend matches but convinced his friend, Gary Green, an English production manager at Australian sports channel Foxtel, to air Swindon games.

After watching the Charlton game, the family started looking at ticket prices for the Wembley game, but Lee, a warehouse manager, was told he could not go when he asked at work. “It is a very special game because they are at Wembley and it is a chance for them to go up to the Championship,” said Lee, who has already re-watched the Charlton game about five times.

“The last time they were there was 16 or 17 years ago so to have the chance to watch it live and then be told you cannot go is pretty difficult.”

Instead of going, the family have organised a party where they will watch the game live on a large projected screen with dozens of friends, neighbours and family.

“Everyone is a big Swindon Town fan in the street,” said Lee. “We have got 30 to 40 people coming around and we are all looking forward to it.

“We will hopefully have people around in the garden, having a few drinks before watching the game from midnight.”