“I figured if they checked tickets they’d turn me off. But they didn’t.” The fans hired a party boat from Tower Millennium Pier to Blackfriars Pier to catch a train to the ground.

Fan Andy Ward told The Sun: “The next day I messaged Evan. He’d gone on the sightseeing tour he’d planned, and said our boat was a lot better — and his tour was a little quieter.” The student, 21, thought they were all going to see London’s landmarks. But the Shrimpers fans welcomed Evan — taking him to his first ever match, buying all his drinks and chanting: “Evan is a Shrimper, la la la la.” A TOURIST planning a gentle sight-seeing trip on the River Thames boarded a party boat full of boozy football fans by mistake. 

Evan, from Arizona, said: “I had some suspicions when I was in line behind all of the fans. The club will make Evan guest of honour at this Saturday’s home fixture against Solihull Moors. The club said: “Full credit to our brilliant supporters.” Essex side Southend were playing Sutton in South London in a National League clash on Saturday. 

American Evan Johnston got on the vessel with 150 Southend United supporters heading to a match. He said he was “rooting for them” after Southend’s 1-1 draw, leaving them a point outside the promotion play-offs with five games left.

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