An Everton fan is travelling 7,000 miles from Malaysia to end a 30-year wait to see his team live for the first time -- three months after an unsuccessful previous attempt made him a star on Twitter.
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Ric Wee travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Merseyside to watch the Toffees host Crystal Palace in February, only for the game to be postponed 35 minutes before kick-off.
On the flight back to Goodison Park @everton #return #NSNO#COYB pic.twitter.com/iSYPR5FKaT
— RW (@ric_wee) April 29, 2014
The lawyer is hoping for better fortune on Saturday when he is set to see Everton face Manchester City in the Premier League.
Wee posted a picture of himself on Twitter on Wednesday, sitting on a plane wearing an Everton polo shirt. It was accompanied by the message: “On the flight back to Goodison Park.”
The Everton fan, who campaigns for civil liberties and has a partnership in a Malaysian legal practice, originally travelled to Merseyside to take in the match against Palace.
Having arrived at Goodison Park early that night, he posted a picture of himself on Twitter ahead of the match, stating how much he was looking forward to it.
Finally, 30 years since supporting @Everton, will b watching EFC "live" for 1st time. @MyToffees pic.twitter.com/bC6mY5meT8
— RW (@ric_wee) February 12, 2014
But high winds across the North West of England caused havoc during the afternoon and early evening. And the match was called off on safety grounds after the club discovered that damage to buildings surrounding Goodison Park was putting fans at risk.
After the match was called off, Wee’s tweet went viral -- and Everton quickly made attempts to track him down, arranging for him to meet manager Roberto Martinez and defender Leighton Baines.
Roberto and Leighton share a joke with @ric_wee pic.twitter.com/mmRfSRh74V
— Helen Mayo (@efc_helenmayo) February 12, 2014
He was also given a full guided tour of Goodison Park the next day by former Everton striker Graeme Sharp. But he was unable to stay for the following Sunday’s FA Cup fifth-round home tie against Swansea, saying that he had arranged to meet his wife in Paris for Valentine’s Day.