06 August 2023 , 10:03
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It's exactly what fans of English Football League teams have been craving during the summer break.
Goals flying in, unpredictable results, away days, and above all else of course, grown men making absolute fools of themselves in the stands. And the League One clash between Reading and Peterborough United on Saturday afternoon certainly delivered on one of those fronts at least.
A first glance at the outcome will suggest that Posh fans had a day out to remember, with Ephron Mason-Clark's 43rd minute goal giving them the perfect start to the new campaign. All except one fan that is, who was more red-faced than new Royals boss Ruben Selles despite having three points to celebrate.
After menacingly making his way across the blue seat covering designed to separate rival fans, he lunged towards the barrier. And in an act as laughable as it was lamentable, the self-appointed enforcer proceeded to try and spit at the Reading faithful whilst perched on the metal bar in front of him.
There was but one problem though. The man's ability to stay balanced failed to match his malicious intent, and he ended up face down in his own saliva after inadvertently falling over the barrier and landing on the deck in rival territory.
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Stewards soon jumped in to save him from his self-imposed humiliation, not that he hung around long enough for assistance. The man duly leapt up and retreated back into his own section at a far quicker pace than he'd initially advanced away from it.
HAVE YOUR SAY! What's the stupidest fan acts you've witnessed? Comment below.
The fan tumbled over the barrier as he tried to spit (Twitter@https://twitter.com/AwayDays_)
Stewards ran in after he hit the deck (Twitter@https://twitter.com/AwayDays_)Such is the modern world, the incident was soon viral on social media. And unsurprisingly, rival fans shared little sympathy for the individual after his failed attempt to be brave.
"He was quick to retreat after acting hard," wrote @bandares32, with a laughing emoji. "Football is truly back," quipped @harrisonDevitt, while @RobertLowndes2 joked: "Give him 5 out of 10 for the finish."
Forget the results, the premature hype about managers being under pressure, and the continued frenzy that represents the summer transfer window. It's a fan tumbling head over heels whilst trying to evade security and spit at rival fans that underlines more than anything else that the English Football League is up and running again.