Young United fan Joey Noble was rewarded for his unbelievable patience ahead of the Northampton Town game when he and his sister Lucy got to meet Jamie Devitt, Mark Howard and Jon Mellish ahead of the big kick-off.
Joey, who is a huge fan of the club, entered a competition to win a signed a shirt way back in the summer, but strict Covid restrictions meant that it was impossible to arrange a suitable way of handing the prize over.
Media officer Andy Hall said: “We deliberately didn’t announce the winner because it was always our intention to do the handover of the shirt in-person.
“Even though Covid restrictions eased, we were still being extremely cautious here at the club, having seen first-hand not that long ago what an outbreak within the first-team ranks can do.
“I spoke to Dave [Joey’s dad] months ago, to let him know his son had won, and we decided between us that we we’d keep it a secret from him, until such time as we could get him along to meet some of the lads.
“That opportunity came a few weeks ago, with us now doing a small number of controlled player appearances again, and the look on his face when he got the shirt made the long wait worthwhile.”
“I didn’t tell Joey until we got to main reception on the day that he’d won the prize, or that he was meeting any players,” dad Dave explained.
“I could tell he was in complete shock as soon as he found out. We got to go down the tunnel, and onto the pitch, and meeting Jamie, Mark and Jon was just fantastic.
“It’s another day that will live long in the memory for a young fan who is now completely blue through and through.
“Thank you to the club for the way they did this.”
Joey received a signed shirt and a signed programme, and we thank for him taking the time to enter our summer competition.
