(Belfast Tl.) Henry McDonald on how Football (Soccer) helped him heal over his loss of his parents

At Wembley [for the recent FA cup semi-final] , I knew that the time was right to return to Goodison [home stadium for Everton of whom he is a life-long supporter]. I thought of the last time I brought my father over, when we had seats in the Bullens Road side of the ground.

He was captivated by a lady in her eighties wearing an Everton shirt and bellowing at the top of her lungs at the players on the park to “get stuck into them” as well as exchanging a few choice chants at the Middlesbrough fans in the away-section near the corner flag.

My father told absolutely everyone we met afterwards, from the pub to the airport, about this “brilliant wee woman” who has had a season ticket for more than half a century. He adored her spirit and her energy, in spite of her years.

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