FOOTBALL fanatic Gary Lamb's five minutes of fame has been temporarily kicked into touch, because of his favourite sport.

The Sunderland fan was to have appeared in the second of a two-part BBC documentary Obsessions, scheduled to be broadcast tonight.

But Manchester United are to blame for the programme being shelved.

The BBC won the right to screen United's European Champions' League qualifying tie against Zalaegerszegi live in Hungary tonight.

It led to the screening of Obsessions being put back to a slot next week.

Gary, who has already had a preview of the programme, said: "I suppose it's one of those things.

"I would not have minded if it had been Sunderland."

The 43-year-old County Durham lorry driver has been to every Sunderland home game since his first match in 1969, and has not missed any Black Cats' fixtures since he was involved in a car crash en route to West Bromwich in 1976.

He even travels to every friendly game and has just come back from trips abroad following Sunderland's pre-season programme in France, Belgium and Spain, for games against Amiens, St Truiden, Antwerp, Gent, Seville and Algeciras.

Gary is one of a number of "obsessives" featured in the hour-long programme.

A film crew followed Gary for several days, and the programme features him and fiancee Jackie Bates preparing for their wedding in March, suitably switched to a Sunday to avoid a clash with Sunderland's match at Chelsea the previous day.

* Obsessions can now be seen on BBC 1 on Thursday, August 22, at 9pm