Yahoo News 'I'm a glutton for punishment...' dedicated football fan flies 6,000 miles only to see team lose
A dedicated Bolton fan flew 6,000 miles to see his team lose at Wembley, weeks after making the same journey only for the game to be abandoned. Unlucky Andy Bebbington has now spent £1,650 and travelled 24,000 miles to see Wanderers not score a goal.
But Andy, 36, who works as an English teacher in China, says it was worth it and would do it again. He said: "If I was there on my own I would say the journey wasn't worth it.
"But, I have been with my family all day and we're about to go out for dinner soon. My dad isn't getting any younger this might be one of the last chances we get to be at Wembley together - it was worth it but only just.
"We're sat here now feeling as low as we're feeling but if we were in the same situation in 12 months would we do it again, absolutely." Andy was in the capital yesterday to see Wanderers lose 2-0 in the League One promotion play-off final against Oxford United.
In February, he also made the same trip to watch his team play Cambridge United, only for the game to be called off due to heavy rain. Andy made the snap decision to jet back to the UK after watching Bolton beat Barnsley their semi-final at a bar in Shanghai last week.
He had quickly booked tickets for his ‘flying visit’ to London - which saw him arrive on Friday night (May 17) after an 18-hour journey and depart on Sunday evening (May 19). And while he had to shell out £850 on hotels and airfares, Andy felt it was a “no-brainer” to roar his team on during the crunch fixture.
He said: “I was watching the semi-final in a bar in Shanghai with a friend, and once we won that, as soon as the full-time whistle went, it was kind of like ‘Let’s look at flight, let’s look at hotels.’
“I had been low-key thinking about it for a while now, but it was something I thought I’d never see through. And when the chance came to get it booked, it was just a no-brainer. If I didn’t go, I think I would be absolutely devastated.”
He added: “It cost around £850. It’s not cheap, and I don’t know why I do it to myself, to be honest. I’m a glutton for punishment, it feels like sometimes.”
Andy had previously paid around £800 to see The White's game at the Abbey Stadium against Cambridge United before it was cancelled due to rain on February 6. But despite this agonising disappointment he said his pride in the northern town and loyalty to its legendary club remained unmoved ahead of the final.
Andy said: “I was born and raised in Bolton and even though I'm living 6,000 miles away from the town now, you could just tell there’s a buzz around the place. And with Bolton, it’s not just a football club, it’s a bit like an identity.
“I know that sounds a little bit cheesy, but I feel like when we do get to the cup final or a play-off final, it feels a little bit like a pilgrimage or a calling.
“Once you’ve been watching them year in, year out, it's something you just can’t shake off. It’s an expensive passion but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Andy said he managed to bag a seat just behind one of the goals in Wembley Stadium thanks to his dad who is a season ticket holder at the club.
And he watched on with his family as his side got thrashed by Oxford United. Andy said: "It was terrible, from the very first minute we didn't turn up.
"I have watched us play every week since last August and that was not the Bolton Wanderers that I have been watching since last season."
Andy, whose last trip made front page headlines in February, said his pupils and fellow staff members in China were stunned when he showed them the coverage.
He said: “They couldn’t believe it. Obviously, the media here in China is a lot different than the media back home.
“So if you make the media in China, it’s like ‘Wow, you’re a superstar’. My students were absolutely mind blown about it – they couldn’t get their head around it.”
