Watch: Aberdeen-supporting Orkney couple detail FOUR-DAY odyssey by boat, car and plane for PAOK game

Two Orkney Dons showed their commitment to their club with a FOUR-DAY odyssey to Greece by boat, car and plane for Aberdeen’s Europa Conference League group game against PAOK.

David Ryrie, 37, and partner Cherie Grieve, 31, are both lifelong supporters of the Reds and have joined around 800 of their fellow fans in Thessaloniki for Thursday evening’s visit to Toumba Stadium. 

Based in Kirkwall, David and Cherie’s pilgrimage started with a ferry trip from Stromness to Scrabster to reach mainland Scotland on Sunday, before a five-and-a-half-hour drive to Edinburgh, flight to Venice, and finally another flight into Thessaloniki on the eve of the match on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Press and Journal from Thessaloniki’s Aristotle Square (where Aberdeen fans have been asked to gather before and after tonight’s Euro fixture), the pair detailed their long journey to watch the Dons attempt to gain revenge on a PAOK side who delivered a devastating 3-2 defeat to them at Pittodrie two weeks ago. 

The pair also described their experience of Greece’s second city so far, their hopes Aberdeen’s safety instructions for supporters in Thessaloniki on matchday  – including busing fans to and from the stadium – are only a precaution, and what their expectations for the game and the famously rowdy Toumba Stadium are.