Evan Johnston of Tempe, Ariz. became a soccer fan after his surprise boat ride
An Arizona student had a boat trip he’ll never forget!
21-year-old Evan Johnston of Tempe, Ariz. was in for a surprise when he boarded a Thames cruiser in London on Saturday, April 5, according to BBC.
Thinking he was taking a hop-on hop-off cruise to see the landmarks in England’s capital city, Johnston was instead met with 150 Southend United soccer fans who were on their way to watch their team’s game against Sutton United.
Johnston — who is studying in London for six week, per The Guardian — raised some questions when people noticed that he sat alone on the boat as everyone else partied.
Johnston said that he found it strange that the other people on the boat all knew each other. However, the staff allowed him to sit down.
“I had originally planned to board the river cruise boat for the Hop-On-Hop-Off tour, which I assume was located on the same dock,” Johnston told local outlet Southend Echo. “The cruise would last an hour or so and then I planned to spend the rest of the day touring central London.”
“I had some suspicions when I was in line to board behind all of the Southend fans, because they seemed to know each other and were making chants I didn’t understand,” he continued. “But I decided to board anyways because I figured if they checked tickets they would just turn me around … But they didn’t check tickets, so I slipped on the boat undetected.”
Southend fan Andy Ward told Southend Echo that he went to find Johnston after being told “a young lad was on the wrong boat.”
Despite wanting to make sure the student was okay, he found Johnston “drinking and dancing with other Southend fans and even though you could see he was nervous everyone was just trying to make him feel welcome … He said someone gave him a match ticket but was unsure whether to go. I said to him come with us.”
“He didn’t know what was going on,” Ward told BBC, adding, “He absolutely loved it, and the younger fans need praise because they were fantastic with him.”
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The boat stopped at Blackfriars Pier before the soccer fans caught a train to watch the soccer game in Sutton, according to The Guardian.
“I had a blast on the boat and at the Southend game,” Johnston told the Southend Echo. “I had so much fun I plan to go to another Southend game next weekend and hopefully they can pull out the win. I’m a Southend fan till I die now. I never followed much football so this is the first team I actually cared about and I’m rooting for them now.”
BBC also reported that the day ended with the fans singing “Evan is a Shrimper” after their side drew 1-1.
Johnston is now reportedly on the invite list at Roots Hall for Southend United’s home fixture against Solihull Moors on Saturday, April 12.
A spokesman for Southend United told the BBC that the club would give Johnston a behind-the-scenes tour of the ground on April 12.
“After hearing he was one of the 1,459 fans in the away end at Sutton – by complete accident – we now want to make sure he can experience and enjoy a home match,” the spokesperson said. “Full credit to our brilliant supporters who continue to back the team in their numbers.
He added, “This story is a perfect example of the incredible community spirit that brings our club together.”
PEOPLE has contacted Southend United for comment.
