Football fan James Adams was stunned this week as he was presented with a national trophy by former Manchester United manager, Tommy Docherty.
Tommy surprised the 35-year-old during a ceremony at his work place, Eurovans Volkswagen Van Centre, by handing over his prize for winning Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle’s national fantasy football league last season.
The accountant beat off competition from over 500 other fantasy football managers from throughout the manufacturer’s network of staff to win the 2011/12 championship.
The Manchester United fan was delighted to receive the trophy from Tommy and is hoping to repeat his performance this season, after asking for tips from the football legend.
James said: “Meeting Tommy was an amazing experience, but for him to hand me a trophy made it extra special.
“As a Manchester United fan meeting one of our managers is simply brilliant and I will never forget it.
“Once I had got over the initial shock I did ask him for some tips on management, as this season hasn’t quite started as I had planned! So we’ll see in the next few months if Tommy’s tips have worked.”
Tommy, who played and managed for a number of clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa, admitted he will be keeping an eye out for James’ fantasy team selections this season.
He said: “It was a pleasure to present James with his trophy and meet some of the football fans at Eurovans.
“Fantasy football is a great way for fans to feel part of the game and anyone who wins a national championship obviously shows some skills for football management. Maybe one day we’ll see James managing real players.”
Jason Hill, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle UK’s events and sponsorship manager, said: “Following requests from many staff at van centres across the country we had the inaugural league last season and it was a huge success.
“James got off to a great start and held off the challenges from many of his Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle colleagues, including myself, to deservedly win the title.
“It’s been a pleasure to watch him receive the trophy from a cult figure from football and we wish everyone success in this year’s league.”
Eddie Wright, Eurovans Volkswagen Van Centre’s head of business, said the staff at the company are football mad, so James had to work very hard to beat his colleagues, never mind everyone else in the league.
He said: “At Eurovans we are heavily involved with football, both internally and externally, so it was great to see a football legend in our midst.
“The look on James’ face when Tommy arrived was priceless and Tommy was brilliant with our staff, answering questions and posing for photographs.
“The football connections aren’t just limited to fantasy football at Eurovans as we believe it’s important to support local clubs and community groups where we can.”