Liverpool fans crossing the Irish Sea for ‘extra special’ day

With Liverpool Football Club on the verge of winning their 20th league title, supporters from Northern Ireland will be making their way across the Irish Sea hoping to see it clinched on Sunday.

Many fans will have never witnessed the Reds win a league title as Covid-19 hampered celebrations in 2020, while the club’s previous success was in 1990.

“Hopefully this will be a special event if we manage to win the league,” said fan Stuart Plumpton.

BBC News NI has been speaking to fans travelling to Anfield by boat, plane, and car in the hope of watching their team win the league.

Aoife Lennon from Lisburn travelled to Liverpool on Friday night and said she would be spending the weekend enjoying the “buzz of the town”.

If they win the league “there’ll be a big party afterwards – it’ll be a long weekend”, she told BBC News NI.

The trip this weekend was a spontaneous one but, thanks to her dad’s season tickets, Aoife said they were able to go to matches a couple of times a year together.

She said watching watching Arne Slot’s side potentially win the league in person would be “extra special”.

“Especially with my daddy – me and him going to it. It’ll just be amazing to see.”

Stuart is travelling to Liverpool from Belfast, but has one important stop to make on the way – for son Seth’s rugby tour.

Speaking from the ferry to Scotland, he said: “It clashed with the Liverpool weekend so I was really worried what day the match would be played.

“But because it’s on Sunday, we are going to leave Glasgow on Sunday morning and head down to Liverpool. We have a car rented here to collect.

“Anyone who’s taken a child over to watch the football is always nervous that you’ll not get the result, you don’t want them to be disappointed, but he knows what a big deal it will be.”

Stuart said a win for Liverpool was something he wouldn’t let his son take for granted.

“A lot of his friends are Man United fans so I say to him regularly that I had to endure years of watching the Man United supporters’ success.

“So I’m just making it seem really important that he appreciates this now.”

Christopher Cork from Lisburn will be getting an early morning flight to Manchester on Sunday before making the journey east to Liverpool.

He said he’s an avid fan who goes to every Champions League home game and has been to home and away matches all season.

He can’t wait to “soak up the atmosphere”.

“I am very confident, we have been unreal this season. We have been able to grind out draws too so I can’t see us not winning the title.”

For him, winning the title will be “extra special”.

“I was gutted during Covid, it was heartbreaking. It’s about celebrating with friends and family.”

Peter Brazell, 74, has an unlikely claim to Liverpool football fame having once been Bill Shankly’s postman.

The legendary Liverpool manager invited Peter to train with the club as a goalkeeper but he said he “bottled it” and didn’t show up.

Peter, who is originally from the city but now lives in Lurgan, said the experience hasn’t soured his love for the team.

He’s confident they’ll secure the trophy on Sunday, saying he “just can’t see Liverpool losing”.

“For one half of the city it means everything but Scousers are Scousers.”

Conor from Dungiven, County Londonderry, is travelling to the match with a group of fans.

“It’s going to be exciting,” he told BBC News NI.

“I wouldn’t say there is a lot riding on Sunday but it should cement people like Mo Salah and Virgil Van Dijk as some of the greatest players to wear the red strip.

“If you ask Liverpool fans what’s the number one competition, they’d say the Premier League because of what happened in 2020.

“I think the fans will be celebrating for the next few months. I’m looking forward to it.”