A pub manager in Scunthorpe has paid tribute to Everton’s fantastic supporters after last Saturday’s FA Cup match.
Paul Ferguson, manager of the Blue Bell Inn Wetherspoons in Scunthorpe town centre, said that Everton’s supporters who visited the pub before and after the game were ‘the best bunch of travelling fans that I have experienced in five years as a pub manager’.
The Everton fans were in particularly high spirits after the win over Tottenham and the subsequent 5-1 victory over the Iron only improved their mood.
But the travelling Toffees’ behaviour was impeccable throughout, so much so that Mr Ferguson felt compelled to contact Club officials.
His correspondence read: “They were polite, friendly and even helpful to locals and regulars who were also using the pub.
“They were an absolute credit to your club and a pleasure to have around both before and after the match and they created a really positive atmosphere which also showed football fans in a whole new light to several people using the pub at the time including my mum who had popped in for lunch and was initially put off by seeing the pub packed out with the “footy brigade” in her words.
“She has now been inspired to come along to a match with me at some point as it has had such a positive impression on her.
“I myself am a Newcastle United fan and like to think that we travel well and create a good atmosphere when we visit the various grounds around the country but I will hold my hands up, having had Newcastle here last season and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, your boys were something else and outshone my own bunch of fans, who still had a good time and behaved but didn’t pack that extra punch with regard to creating a positive impression for the neutrals.
“I sincerely hope that there is some way to pass this message on to your supporters who were not only a credit to your club, but ambassadors for football fans nationwide. This is what supporting your club should be about…. showing people that sport can bring them together from all walks of life and corners of the globe”.
“A massive pat on the back to each and every one of the Toffees’ travelling posse that rolled up on our doorstep last Saturday and a big thank you to the club for promoting a culture where this is seen as the way forward, because I am 100% certain that this simply doesn’t just happen on its own.”