An Everton fan who delivered supplies to Ukrainian refugees was subbed on to score penalty in Friday’s pre-season friendly.
Paul Stratton, Liverpool council worker, did what he could to help those who have fled their country amid the Russian invasion and has now be recognised by the club he supports, by taking part in their final pre-season outing against Dynamo Kyiv.
He was bought on as a substitute by Frank Lampard and walked on to take an Everton penalty, which he slotted home. The crowd cheered as the individual revelled in his moment, celebrating on his knees in front of the home fans in the Gwladys Street End.
The Liverpool Echo reported that the ex-police officer traveled over to Poland in March to help refugees who were fleeing from Ukraine.
Last night was in aid of the people of Ukraine. 🇺🇦
At the end of the game, Paul Stratton, a 44-year-old Evertonian was surprised by @McInTweet‘s Big Show due to his brave efforts to help Ukrainians this year. 💙💛
The full story will be revealed when it airs on @BBCOne. pic.twitter.com/DLAVixuUwH
— Everton (@Everton) July 30, 2022
The Echo said he was ‘accompanied by a Polish phrasebook and a network of former police and army colleagues.’
Stratton was commended for his work with a moment that he will never forget with the help of Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.
Everton have been affected by the invasion in Ukraine through Vitaliy Mykolenko, the 23-year-old who joined the Toffees from Dynamo Kyiv in January of this year, shortly before his country was attacked by Russian soldiers.
He has often by his voice heard in standing up for his country, calling out Russian player Artem Dzyuba, who he has accused of remaining silent throughout his country’s horrific actions.
Everton won 3-0 with Stratton’s unofficial strike making it a win by four goals. Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted before new signing Dwight McNeil grabbed himself a brace as he introduced himself to the crowd in the best possible way.
Everton welcomed around 2,000 Ukrainians from across Merseyside for Friday’s ‘Match for Peace’ against Dynamo Kyiv.
The Club’s free ticket offer to Ukrainian families, with the help of the six local councils, has been welcomed enthusiastically by refugees rehoused in the city region as a result of the conflict that rages on in their country.
And Olesja Petriv and her family are looking forward to seeing a blaze of blue and yellow as Goodison Park throws open its doors in support of a nation in need.
Olesja, who has played a pivotal role in helping several Ukrainians, including her own family, seek safety and sanctuary in the UK, said: “It’s going to be really cool, especially with the kids.
“They always talk about football and we tried to go to the World Cup play-off game Wales v Ukraine game recently, but couldn’t get tickets, so when we heard about this game at Everton we were so happy.
“I am so excited because this will be an evening when families can get together for an amazing cause.
“Some of the Ukrainian families who will be there are so lost; they have lost loved ones and lost their homes and I don’t know how you can go through all that.
“When you have a stable life, friends, schools, evenings spent with your family in the house you built, and then one day all that is taken away, you realise how amazing it is what the UK did.
“The people of Liverpool and across the country have opened their doors and let Ukrainians become a part of their family and history will never forget them.”
Olesja and her husband, Dmytro, sprang into action immediately after the Russian invasion, driving to mainland Europe to collect Dmytro’s sister Mariia and her children Sviatoslav, 10, and Sofiia, 8, who had hurriedly packed bags and fled the country.
Both Sviatoslav and Sofiia will be mascots for Friday’s game – the first ‘Match for Peace’ ever played in the UK – in what is sure to be an emotional evening for the family.
Olesja, who originally hails from Estonia, has since gone on to help several of her work colleagues from Ukraine find sponsors here in Halton, assisted with their paperwork and visa applications, undertaken home visits with prospective sponsors and helped facilitate the refugees’ safe travel to Halton.
She continues to be a huge support to several families, facilitating with their integration and offering up help with translation, not only to individuals but also to vital services such as the Job Centre, GP surgeries and local schools.
She added: “This war is just so close to us and has affected so many families.
“I still cry when I think about those first few days of the war and what it has all led to.
“Emotionally it’s been so hard because people were calling me and I heard kids screaming as they tried to run and hide from the planes and the bombs.
“Nobody believed this could happen and it shouldn’t be like this, but I don’t see helping those in need as a mission.
“It’s something from the heart and I will do whatever I can to support Ukrainian families, for as long as necessary.”
Laura Stanley, Refugee Resettlement Coordinator with the Halton Supported Housing Team, added: “Olesja is an amazing woman and we’re proud to support her and others in need.
“I’ve worked with refugees in Halton for six years, initially with the Syrian resettlement scheme and now we’ve evolved into the Ukrainian resettlement scheme
“Our main involvement comes initially after arrival or when the sponsorship fails, often through nobody’s fault, and we’d normally help out with schools and GPs, but I’m finding that when I turn up at sponsors’ homes, all that has already been sorted by our amazing sponsors.
“It takes a special kind of person to take a stranger into your house, especially post-Covid when for a long time you weren’t even allowed to have folk in your house.
“For so many people here, having this scheme has brought so many benefits, such as new cultures, new foods and experiences.
“But it’s given Ukrainian families a safe haven and pulling people together is vital.
“Ukrainians in sponsorship placements can be spread far and wide, across the region, so events like the game at Goodison will be amazing because they can make those connections with each other’s families and take them forward, enabling wider community support.”
Speaking before the match with Dynamo Kyiv, Vitaliy Mykolenko said: ‘My family is still in Ukraine, everyone – my uncle, my dad, my mother. They are OK.
‘[My father] is military but he is in Kyiv. He is working in a military unit, but he is not going to the east of Ukraine. I am proud of him. I love them, my father, my mother.’
Fans reacted with the Everton fan who delivered supplies to Ukrainian refugees subbed on to score a penalty…
@Elle_EFC1878: We really are the peoples club 💙🙌
@GazEd088: Brillant 💙💙💙
@_xGJ__: How’s he not saved that? Awful keeping
@The_Wisco_Hawk: My allergies are playing up
@binkymarsh29: Tears of joy. Beautiful
@kingtinger: Frank holding his shirt so he didn’t expose his belly while taking off his jumper just shows what kind of fella he is… respect to Frank Lampard. #Everton
@HopefulToffee: That was a lovely moment. Well done Everton and good on you Paul
@Marc_GeneDoc: Phenomenal. Another reason to root for Everton.
@dickiestone7: Love this but just waiting for the knobs to slag it off a usual
@HughMoore1997: Everton are a club that always seems to have true values at its heart, even if its owners have put their fans through the ringer
@mccrae_duncan: Fair play, good lad & Everton got something right for a change 👏
@ScottAV1982: The way frank holds down his top, big lads will know 😂
@pauledblue: Love stuff like this
@selhurstpaw1: Love Everton for this. Paul Stratton thoroughly deserving this moment. Respect to those going out to Poland to take supplies for the Ukraine.
@LeeDHayes: Love how the Everton players go over to congratulate him. Touch of class, that 👏👏
@DavyGrime: This is literally a dream that most fans never get to live. Brilliant stuff.
@TheSweatyYeti1: Top class that mind
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