Football Sports

Written by John Hill, reporter on The Wharf. John Hill grew up watching Joe Montana guide the 49ers to greatness. He’s too slow and weak to suit up, but he once sacked an inflatable clown at an children’s play…

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Written by John Hill, reporter on The Wharf.

John Hill grew up watching Joe Montana guide the 49ers to greatness. He’s too slow and weak to suit up, but he once sacked an inflatable clown at an children’s play centre. He will provide American Football punditry for food.

At 2.30am Greenwich Mean Time, an arena erupted.

A man in a Jets shirt hugged a fan in a Dolphins top. A guy in a Patriots jersey hollered into the rafters, and another in a Giants vest started dancing.


On the big screen, thousands of miles away, Tracy Porter had read the eyes of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, stepped in front of his throw, weaved and sprinted 74-yards into the endzone, and the New Orleans Saints had won the Super Bowl.

There was still time remaining, but with just over three minutes on the clock, London’s biggest Super Bowl gathering had switched from a muddled sea of green, red, purple and blue shirts to a huddle of black and gold.

Even as recently as four years ago, you wouldn’t have easily spotted a Saints top in the capital. 49ers? Check. Giants? Sure. Steelers? Just follow the yelling. But few Saints. Now you’ve got Harry from Essex, Dan from Oxford and Shaun from Cambridge, all clad in beads and Bush jerseys. That’s partly down to a visit they paid to an out-of-the-way stadium called Wembley back in 2008. It’s also got something to do with a big-yardage offense that one fan claimed was “a bit like watching Brazil”.

London-based Saints fan Alexi Tangey said: “Seeing as the Saints came over here two years ago for the NFL London game, a lot of people like them because they’ve seen them live. Then you’ve got the story of Hurricane Katrina, and how New Orleans has overcome adversity. Plus, most people just don’t like the Colts.”

That said, there were a few long-serving Saints in the wings. Milton Keynes-based Northern Irishman Kieran Duffy had been wooed from the Cincinnati Bengals 24 years ago, and was watching his team in its first ever Super Bowl.

He said: “I saw them during the highlights when they used to do the coverage on Channel 4. I realised they were the only team for me.”

The Colts looked like a solid bet for victory, especially with future hall-of-famer Peyton Manning under centre. But British fans are famous for backing the underdog. Of the 3,000 or so that wandered down to North Greenwich’s Indigo2 to watch the game on big screens in HD, most were determined to cheer for the Saints, even though not all of them were going so far as to actually bet on them to win. This was a team with the NFC’s best record, but some in the crowd were merely hoping to avoid one of those horrible blowouts in which the TV announcers start name-checking the camera crew a full half-hour before the final whistle. Especially when Manning put Indianapolis up 10-0 in the first quarter.

Colts fan Ben Scarisbrick said: “The Colts are one of the most exciting sides around right now. They’re a bums-on-seats team.”

Of course, the Saints are pretty exciting themselves. Head coach Sean Payton went for a fourth down from two yards out at 10-3, blew it, and then got the ball back in time to kick for 10-6 before half time. Then the former Leicester Panthers man called a short onside kick to start the second half, watched as his team took possession, and promptly sent them down the field to take the lead for the first time.

Arizona Cardinals fan Dan Smith had bought a Saints jersey especially for the game tonight, and was cheering from the bar.

He said: “I’m a big fan of Reggie Bush, so I thought I’d wear his shirt tonight. He’s a big playmaker. But after this game, the shirt comes off and I’m a Cardinals fan again.”

The Colts swung up the field and jumped ahead 17-13 on a four-yard run, but the Saints’ third long field goal of the night made it a one point game. Then Jeremy Shockey put New Orleans back on top with a short pass, and the two-point conversion was cleared after an official’s review. Seven points separated the two teams, before Tracy Porter read Peyton Manning’s eyes to make it 31-17.

The Saints are now the second team to go on to win the Super Bowl after playing a regular season game in London. The San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos are up next in October, but can they follow in the footsteps of New York and New Orleans?

49ers fans Andrew Perkins and Mike Smith mulled over this all-important question, then said: “We don’t think it’s going to happen. But we can hope.”

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