Colin Murray
OUR STAR COLUMNIST’S GOLDEN IDEA INSPIRES THE NATION
A PREMIER League ‘Golden Ticket’ idea from Metro Sport columnist Colin Murray has really hit the sweet spot in the world of football.
Murray’s Willy Wonka-inspired suggestion to send one home fan to each match after the top-flight’s return on June 17 garnered support from all corners of the game, including from thousands of fans.
With games set to be played behind closed doors, last Friday our man argued inviting one deserving fan – from GPs to nurses, carers to delivery drivers – to each fixture would be a wonderful way to mark their heroics during the pandemic, while at the same time reinforcing football is nothing without fans.
Match Of The Day presenter and England legend Gary Lineker described it as a ‘great idea’, while his Sky Sports counterpart Jeff Sterling enthused ‘Love it! Just the ticket!’.
BT Sport anchor Jake Humphrey also gave the proposal a huge thumbs-up.
Countless footballers also weighed in. Former Villa striker Dion Dublin labelled it as ‘just a brilliant idea’, while former Stoke striker Jonathan
Walters said: ‘What an idea… this would be good to see for some deserving people.’
Other past and present players including Didi Hamann, Jamie Patterson, Mark Schwarzer, Stephen Warnock, Ivan Toney and Dean Ashton also took to Twitter to back the possibility of a ‘Golden Ticket’.
Significantly, one Premier League chairman, Crystal Palace’s Steve Parish, simply said ‘love this’ after reading Murray’s column.
Our columnist commented: ‘It was just a simple sentiment to give a handful of amazing people a day to remember for the rest of their lives. Frontline workers but also seasonticket holders. Real fans.
‘Reading people’s comments on social media, the phrase “Games For Heroes” came up a lot. I like it. Maybe it’s every game, maybe it’s just one weekend, but it seems there’s a will. The only question remains, is there a way? Maybe, maybe not.
‘This is not a campaign. It’s simply a seed planted, and hopefully it carries enough momentum, positivity and love to reach the Premier League.’