A WELL-known face around Verwood has collected his last coupons as he ends nearly 40 years of running football pools in the town.

In a sign of changing times thanks to online betting, Brian Long was told his round was coming to an end after 36 years.

But he says he is looking back on his time doing the job with fond memories.

Brian, 66, has lived in Verwood nearly all of his life and did the job full-time for 30 years until he ‘retired’ at 65 – he was a postman before, but found that the pools made for a better living.

He said: “I took over from a chap that had given up and there were roughly 50 customers on a Thursday night.

“I built it up and made it a full-time job and by the late 1980s I had 500 customers.”

The biggest win one of his customers had was £304,000 – enough to feature on the front page of the Daily Echo in 1989.

Despite being given less than a week’s notice, he said, by the company running the competition, he has no hard feelings.

Brian added: “Unfortunately the lottery came in and a lot of people stopped doing the football pools.

“It’s an older form of gambling and with the internet and mobile phones it’s been going downhill for some time.”

He leaves with his head held high – Brian still had 130 customers in Verwood as he made his final rounds.

“I’ve met many nice people and a lot of them are friends.

“I knew it was perhaps coming, but I was hoping to make 40 years; it’s life and things change.

“I’m a keen runner and now I will have a bit more time to go running and train and perhaps get a bit quicker,” said Brian.