It’s not a Shaw thing: Petition to save pie-eater’s job
A petition to have pie-eating goalkeeper Wayne Shaw reinstated is recording big numbers a day after his departure from Sutton United.
The rotund 46-year-old resigned in the wake of a betting scandal after he was filmed eating a pie while on the bench during Sutton’s 2-0 FA Cup loss to Arsenal.
Sun Bets, the bookmaker that also sponsored Sutton’s shirts during the tie, had offered odds of 8-1 that Shaw, dubbed the ‘roly-poly goalie’, would eat a pie on camera.
Shaw, the reserve goalkeeper, insisted he had not placed a bet but admitted giving a few friends a hint and is now facing Football Association and Gambling Commission investigations.
Shaw, who did groundkeeping at the club, has become a cult figure and a petition was quickly set up to try to get his job back after his tearful resignation.
By yesterday there were nearly 5000 signatures on the petition.
‘‘Sutton United’s rotund reserve goalkeeper Wayne Shaw was unjustly sacked for eating a pie in the dugout during his team’s FA Cup tie against Arsenal. Justice must prevail and Wayne must be reinstated to the subs’ bench,’’ was the petition’s pledge.
There was also heavyweight support from other areas.
Media star Piers Morgan and England football great Gary Lineker have tweeted support for 146kg Shaw.
Meanwhile, non-league club Sutton confirmed their website
Sarabia headed the hosts into a deserved lead in the 25th minute after Kasper Schmeichel saved Correa’s penalty. Argentine forward Correa made amends by netting in the 62nd after inspired play from Stevan Jovetic.
Leicester were outplayed by the home side, who had 80 per cent of possession in the first half, and it took a number of brilliant saves from Schmeichel to keep them in the game, while Sevilla’s Vitolo hit the inside of the post.
Vardy made the most of a rare attacking opportunity for the struggling English champions by blasting in a cross from Danny Drinkwater from close range in the 73rd minute and Claudio Ranieri’s side were fortunate not to concede late on when Adil Rami’s header smashed against the crossbar. had been hacked with Shaw’s profile describing him as ‘‘best goalkeeper’’.
The website was offline as IT specialist looked to fix the hacking damage.
‘‘Something went wrong over the weekend and our maintenance guys are looking into fixing it,’’ Sutton United chairman Bruce Elliot told the Sutton Guardian.
‘‘It’s extremely frustrating as now is the time where we could do with it up as well.
‘‘It’s just another problem that we could do without really.’’
Morrisons - one of Britain’s biggest supermarket chains - saw a marketing opportunity by offering Shaw a job as their official pietaster, with a salary of a year’s worth of pies.
Morrisons’ Chief Pie Buyer Tessa Callaghan said: ‘‘We’re always looking for the best talent to taste our pies and make sure they hit the back of the net.
‘‘Wayne’s performance last night sets him apart as one of the country’s most famous pie connoisseurs.
‘‘We were really impressed by his commitment to pie eating, and we understand that a good pie is the best way to warm up for any occasion, even if it is the biggest night of your football career,’’ Callaghan said.