' The story behind the young Cardiff City fan '
Mon Sep 02, 2019 12:42 pm
The story behind the young Cardiff City fan who's gone viral after tearful TV exchange with Josh Murphy
Monday 2nd September 2019
Making his way off the pitch on Friday night, Cardiff City’s Josh Murphy had a momentary exchange with a young Bluebirds fan that has captured the hearts of thousands.
Rhys Bennett, eight, had run past a steward at the ground at the end of the 1-1 draw with Fulham – in which Murphy scored – in a bid to meet one of his sporting heroes.
The video footage of the exchange, captured by TV cameras at the ground, went viral over the weekend.
After being confronted by Rhys, Murphy pulled off his shirt and gave it to the emotional youngster before giving him a hug as the overwhelmed lad sobbed in front of him in utter disbelief
“We were sat by the dugout. He wanted to stay back and see if he could get a high five or a ‘hello’,” dad Anthony explained.
Anthony had been at the game with his two sons, Rhys and six-year-old Ellis, as well as the boys’ grandmother Janice Rosser, from Mountain Ash.
Cardiff-born Anthony, who had travelled down from Sussex from where the family now live, said: “When we do the away games, the opportunity to see the players coming off the pitch are few and far between.
“These kids grow up idolising these players."
After the game, Rhys decided he really wanted to meet the players.
“He was getting a bit emotional.”
Anthony says he told him to hang around and see the players coming off the pitch, but before he knew it, Rhys had made a quick run for it.
“He literally legged it past the steward to go right to the edge of the tunnel.
“You could see Josh really smiled and engaged with him, he couldn’t get any words out.
“Rhys was absolutely starstruck by him.
“He was really happy. It was just a nice moment and fair play to Josh Murphy because a lot of players might have been quite frustrated [with the result].”
Anthony, 36, added: “When he sees this player right in front of him, it’s a big thing!
“He was just really happy.
“When I took a picture of him in the turnstile after, it’s one of the best photos I’ve got of him.
"These football clubs, they mean the world to people."
Anthony says they had no idea about the adorable moment being caught by the TV cameras until hours later, after arriving home in Sussex at around 2am after the game to floods of messages online.
Anthony showed the boys' mum Danielle the clip when they got home, and added: "She was taken aback by the player's actions.
"You don't see enough of it."
Fulham was the family's first home game of the season, with it sometimes being easier on the commute to travel to the Bluebirds' away games.
They had made the drive down from Mountain Ash in plenty of time to head to the stadium shop to get kitted out in Cardiff's new strip before the match.
“His bedroom at home is all Cardiff City.
“Both my boys support Cardiff.
“I’m delighted they are Cardiff fans. We kind of do it as a family, and my partner Danielle comes as well sometimes.
“For them, it’s really nice that as a family we can go and watch Cardiff.”
Monday 2nd September 2019
Making his way off the pitch on Friday night, Cardiff City’s Josh Murphy had a momentary exchange with a young Bluebirds fan that has captured the hearts of thousands.
Rhys Bennett, eight, had run past a steward at the ground at the end of the 1-1 draw with Fulham – in which Murphy scored – in a bid to meet one of his sporting heroes.
The video footage of the exchange, captured by TV cameras at the ground, went viral over the weekend.
After being confronted by Rhys, Murphy pulled off his shirt and gave it to the emotional youngster before giving him a hug as the overwhelmed lad sobbed in front of him in utter disbelief
“We were sat by the dugout. He wanted to stay back and see if he could get a high five or a ‘hello’,” dad Anthony explained.
Anthony had been at the game with his two sons, Rhys and six-year-old Ellis, as well as the boys’ grandmother Janice Rosser, from Mountain Ash.
Cardiff-born Anthony, who had travelled down from Sussex from where the family now live, said: “When we do the away games, the opportunity to see the players coming off the pitch are few and far between.
“These kids grow up idolising these players."
After the game, Rhys decided he really wanted to meet the players.
“He was getting a bit emotional.”
Anthony says he told him to hang around and see the players coming off the pitch, but before he knew it, Rhys had made a quick run for it.
“He literally legged it past the steward to go right to the edge of the tunnel.
“You could see Josh really smiled and engaged with him, he couldn’t get any words out.
“Rhys was absolutely starstruck by him.
“He was really happy. It was just a nice moment and fair play to Josh Murphy because a lot of players might have been quite frustrated [with the result].”
Anthony, 36, added: “When he sees this player right in front of him, it’s a big thing!
“He was just really happy.
“When I took a picture of him in the turnstile after, it’s one of the best photos I’ve got of him.
"These football clubs, they mean the world to people."
Anthony says they had no idea about the adorable moment being caught by the TV cameras until hours later, after arriving home in Sussex at around 2am after the game to floods of messages online.
Anthony showed the boys' mum Danielle the clip when they got home, and added: "She was taken aback by the player's actions.
"You don't see enough of it."
Fulham was the family's first home game of the season, with it sometimes being easier on the commute to travel to the Bluebirds' away games.
They had made the drive down from Mountain Ash in plenty of time to head to the stadium shop to get kitted out in Cardiff's new strip before the match.
“His bedroom at home is all Cardiff City.
“Both my boys support Cardiff.
“I’m delighted they are Cardiff fans. We kind of do it as a family, and my partner Danielle comes as well sometimes.
“For them, it’s really nice that as a family we can go and watch Cardiff.”
Re: ' The story behind the young Cardiff City fan '
Mon Sep 02, 2019 3:27 pm
Nice to see some of the better images of football 
Re: ' The story behind the young Cardiff City fan '
Mon Sep 02, 2019 5:08 pm
That’s a fantastic story
Re: ' The story behind the young Cardiff City fan '
Mon Sep 02, 2019 5:36 pm
Especially nice that this youngster wasn’t one of the ones who come in with a cardboard sign asking for something, gets on my tits that
Re: ' The story behind the young Cardiff City fan '
Mon Sep 02, 2019 9:22 pm
I posted this on another thread the other day, great gesture by josh Murphy, quite emotional watching that reminded me when me and young son at the time met Brian Clark outside Ninian Park before a home game
Re: ' The story behind the young Cardiff City fan '
Mon Sep 02, 2019 9:23 pm
I posted this on another thread the other day, great gesture by josh Murphy, quite emotional watching that reminded me when me and young son at the time met Brian Clark outside Ninian Park before a home game
Re: ' The story behind the young Cardiff City fan '
Tue Sep 03, 2019 1:35 pm
Colin Sullivan once gave me a handful of sweets 
Re: ' The story behind the young Cardiff City fan '
Tue Sep 03, 2019 4:34 pm
Well done Rhys for running past the steward, and well done Murphy for taking the time to make a young families day
Re: ' The story behind the young Cardiff City fan '
Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:16 pm
BluebirdWhitchurch wrote:Especially nice that this youngster wasn’t one of the ones who come in with a cardboard sign asking for something, gets on my tits that
No offence,but really
young fans are the future of the club,I am personally pleased that we have youngsters wanting a momento from the players,means they will be hooked to the drug,that is cardiff city,good on em I say 
