Not sure if this has already been posted, apologies if it has. But this is a great read. From the guardian.
A Liverpool fan who came to the rescue of two Leicester City supporters after they were left stranded after a match has been inundated with praise and says with all the offers of free beer, he is unlikely to go thirsty all year.
The man came to the aid of the teenager and his 10-year-old nephew, who had missed the last train from Liverpool after being taken to the wrong station, and had nowhere to stay overnight, giving them money for a hotel and a taxi after reading of their plight on Reddit.
The sixth-form student resorted to posting on the internet discussion website the evening after seeing his team draw 2-2 with Liverpool on 2 January.
Using the name LCFCRyan, he explained that he had been charged more than £54 to go to a railway station near Liverpool airport instead of Lime Street station, and then, with no money left, had been forced to walk to the city centre with his nephew and now had nowhere else to go.
He posted on Reddit in the hope that someone could suggest an indoor public area where they could spend the night, writing: “I’m in a shitty situation right now, mainly because of myself, lime street station has just closed so we don’t know where else to go ... I was wondering if anybody knows any indoor public places we could wait until then? It’s freezing and I don’t want to be walking around with my 10-year-old nephew at night.”
Soon after, Reddit poster OfficePlum wrote: “Wait near the main entrance to Lime Street (the entrance facing the big TV screen) and I’ll give you the money for a hotel room and a taxi so you can get there safely. I’ll be there in about 15 minutes.”
A relieved LCFCRyan replied: “Wow, thank you so much. I really don’t know what else to say we are walking past the art gallery now and should be there soon ... Duck me, I was not expecting that.”
Wary of being scammed, the good samaritan went to the designated meeting spot with no money to check on the poster of the original message, before going to a cash machine. Having handed over the money, he wrote: “It was the least I could do for you both. Shitty taxi drivers like that give the city a bad name. Have a safe journey home.”
The next day, LCFCRyan thanked his saviour again: “I just want to tell you how thankful myself, my nephew and my family are. My sister who is also the mother of my nephew is driving up to Liverpool right now and I don’t think she’ll be letting me take him on another trip soon. In all seriousness I don’t know what we would have done if it wasn’t for you and I personally will never forget your generosity.”
In the days that followed, OfficePlum was bombarded with praise from other users, and took to the site again to further explain the story. “I did not expect this to blow up like it has done. I was just doing what I would hope someone would do if I or anyone else faced the same scenario those two lads were in,” he wrote. “Thanks to everyone who has sent messages to myself, with all the offers of free beer and drinks I don’t think I’ll be going hungry or thirsty any time soon.”
He explained that he had met the pair and decided “that nobody would have a kid stand in the freezing cold rain just for the sake of the price of a hotel room”.
He added: “I didn’t bring any cash with me just in case I was about to get robbed, so I told them that I was the guy from Reddit and that I was going to go to the cash machine to get them some money so they could stay in a hotel until someone picks them up ... gave them the cash, the addresses of some hotels, numbers of all the private hire firms in Liverpool and my mobile number just in case they needed any more help.”
The Reddit poster had created his only profile the day before, namely, it appears, to get advice about going to the match. “I managed to get some tickets for me and my nephew for our game tomorrow and I was wondering if anyone has been to Liverpool before?” he wrote. “Any tips or information would be appreciated. I’m super nervous taking my nephew to his first away game and I don’t want to end up messing something up.”
After being helped by the Liverpool supporter, LCFCRyan told the online community that his sister had pledged twice the cost of the hotel to a local homeless charity and his parents had made a donation to Hillsborough campaigners.
As for OfficePlum, he has been offered dinner and drinks in places as far afield as Canada, Toronto, Sydney, China and New York as well as the dubious pleasure of being taken to a Leicester City game.
“I’m just happy they’re home safe and well,” he said. “They’ve invited me down to stay a weekend and watch a game sometime soon, so I’m looking forward to that.”
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