Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Pride and dignity retained amidst an utter disgrace
FOR Tyrone Mings, it should have been the proudest night of his footballing life.
A journey from the toughest of childhoods, through non-league football, pub work and mortgage advising, through serious injury and controversy, to this. The 1244th player to represent England.
A truly special moment for him and his family.
And it will be recorded as a wonderful landmark in his life. The jersey will have been signed by his team-mates, the cuttings taken from newspapers, footage of Tyrone singing the National Anthem.
The fact he started a match for England on October, 14, 2019, will be an achievement that can never be taken away from him.
Even if he never pulls on the jersey again – and he will – it is a date that will mark the moment when his hard work came to such fantastic fruition. Mings will not let the racists ruin his stuff of dreams, he will not let the bigots destroy his Boy’s Own story.
He has fought his way here by taking on far greater adversity than that sent his way by mindless, racist morons in the seats of the partially-closed Vasil Levski Stadium (below).
Partially closed, don’t forget, because racist behaviour scarred Bulgaria’s matches against Kosovo and the Czech Republic earlier this year.
In the fullness of time, Mings will treasure that first kick of a ball for England, that first header won, that first cavalier venture upfield, that feeling of belonging to a band of brothers. But for now, what a despicable shame his night – the most momentous of his career – has been sullied and stained by subhuman taunting.
It was not just Mings who was targeted by the racists. And how all the England players showed restraint and stuck to the UEFA protocol was a feat of considerable restraint. But it was soul-destroying to see Mings have his loveliest hour demeaned by the scum in the stands. Never mind a few seats