It’s not every day you get to meet your heroes but three avid Leeds United fans were able to do just that this month thanks to first-team star Ilia Gruev.

Paul Harrison, Mark Whittaker and Lee Hainsworth - who are all supported by the excellent social care charity Community Integrated Care - thought they were simply visiting Elland Road for a sight-seeing experience but were soon handed a major surprise.

The trip had been planned and staged off his own back by Gruev, who has been inspired by the work carried out from Community Integrated Care. One of the UK’s largest charities, it aims to allow those who have learning disabilities and autism, or are in mental health recovery, to live their ‘best life possible', delivering more than eight million hours of support and care.

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Paul, Mark and Lee were given VIP treatment at Elland Road upon their visit, with excitement reaching new levels when Gruev himself met the stunned trio in the changing rooms. And the surprises didn’t stop there.

After signing memorabilia and answering all their questions about Leeds United, Gruev guided his esteemed guests on a tunnel walk and onto the pitch. There, he revealed he had organised for all three to attend the home FA Cup tie with Millwall on Saturday, February 8.

Members of staff at Community Integrated Care were also invited, with Jenny Robinson and Declan Jenkinson, two other service users, gifted pitch-side tickets too. “This is my best day ever, I cannot believe it - thank you Ilia,” said Paul, whose bedroom is filled with United memorabilia.

“Thank you for an amazing day,” added Leed while Mark led the group in a chorus of ‘Come on Leeds!’. Things would get even better.

Despite the result against Millwall not being what they had hoped for, Gruev had organised for the guests of honour to meet him and his United teammates after the match, who took time to hear of their experiences.

“It was my pleasure to meet Lee, Paul and Mark, and their support teams at Community Integrated Care,” said Gruev, who has signed up to support the charity. “It was brilliant to see how much Leeds United means to them – they inspired me, as much as I hope to have inspired them.

“It has been great to support Community Integrated Care. I know that the charity does a lot of important work in the local community. It is so important to give back to the community, so I am proud to have supported a great cause.”

John Hughes, Director of Partnerships and Communities at Community Integrated Care, added: “We were blown away by the efforts that Ilia made to enable the people we support to live their greatest dreams.

"He was generous with his time, deeply interested in connecting with the people we support, and had real respect for the work of Community Integrated Care.

“Paul, Mark, Lee, Jenny and Declan will never forget this experience. Our thanks go to Ilia and everyone at Leeds United who facilitated their dreams coming true.”