The real Shed End! Football fan grandad, 65, spends £5,000 to build a six-seat private box in his GARDEN to watch his team play

A football mad grandad has turned his back garden into a six seat private box, spending a reported £5,000 so his family can watch their local team from home.

The DIY 'Shed End' overlooks non league Barnoldswick Town's pitch and, according to reports, was built after the 65-year-old found three of his eight grandsons leaning over his fence to glimpse the action. 

With a reported 15 foot drop beyond the garden boundary just metres from the touchline, he opted to create a safe and permanent viewing spot.

Speaking to Burnley Express, Ian Nutter said, 'I did not set out to build this, it just grew organically. 

'At first it was supposed to be a wooden platform but when I stood on it I thought 'well this is not very good', so I took it to the next level.'

Nutter, who owns an architectural metalwork firm, added that a structural engineer drew up the plans and four apprentices helped assemble the stand as he oversaw the build. 

'The stand has a steel structure set into concrete, there is a little staircase into it. It has a wooden floor and wooden panelled sides similar to what you find on a shed.

'The seats are originals from Burnley's Cricket Field Stand at Turf Moor. The roof is aluminium and it has toughened glass at the front to stop wide shots from hitting you,' he said.

Barnoldswick Town tickets cost around £7, with a season ticket around £120, making the backyard box a novelty rather than a necessity. 

For Nutter's clan, the appeal is clear, a safe, close up view for grandchildren who now bring school friends to watch from the mini terrace.

The 'Shed End' nickname nods to famous ends around the country and to the timber cladding that frames the little box. 

In a further claret and blue twist, the salvaged Burnley seats link the project to the Premier League club's old Cricket Field Stand, a detail that will delight fans in this part of Lancashire.

Winter viewing is covered too. 'When I watch games in the cold, at half time I will go to my shed and warm up by the fire before it kicks off again,' Nutter added, explaining that safety and comfort sat alongside a love of the game throughout the build.

The outlet claim that Nutter plans to catch as many matches as possible from his back garden gallery as the season progresses.