An American tourist who wanted a calm sightseeing tour on the River Thames mistakenly got on a boat filled with rowdy football supporters.
Evan Johnston, an American, found himself on a vessel with 150 fans of Southend United, who were on their way to a football game.
The 21-year-old student believed he was going to see the famous landmarks of London.
However, the Southend United fans welcomed Evan warmly. They took him to his first football match, bought him drinks, and chanted, “Evan is a Shrimper, la la la la.”
Southend, a team from Essex, was playing against Sutton in South London in a National League game on Saturday.
The fans had hired a party boat to travel from Tower Millennium Pier to Blackfriars Pier, from where they would catch a train to the stadium.
Evan, who is from Arizona, mentioned, “I had a feeling something was up when I was in line behind all the fans.”
“I thought if they checked tickets, I’d be turned away. But they didn’t.”
He said he was “rooting for them” after the game ended in a 1-1 draw for Southend. The draw left them just one point away from the promotion play-offs with only five games remaining in the season.
The football club will honor Evan by making him a special guest at their home game this Saturday against Solihull Moors.
Andy Ward, a fan, told The Sun, “I messaged Evan the next day. He had gone on the sightseeing tour he had originally planned and said our boat trip was much better – and his tour was a bit quieter.”
The club commented, “Full credit to our brilliant supporters.”
