World Cup experience was 'brilliant' says former Irish League star as Coleraine connections go as far as San Francisco
Former Irish League striker Jody Tolan has opened up on “a brilliant experience” taking in a match at this summer’s World Cup.
The ex-Cliftonville, Coleraine and Glentoran forward was in the crowd alongside his wife Lisa and son Lucas for the fixture between Austria and Jordan in San Francisco.
The Austrians proved too strong for their opposition as they ran out 3-1 victors on the day and Tolan admits he was blown away by the atmosphere and hospitality at the game.
The Tolan family always planned to take in a game as part of their visit to the States as they spent nine days in Hawaii, before moving onto San Francisco and then New York.
He shared about the World Cup game: “It was a brilliant experience from the start of the day right through to the end.
"We went up to the fan zone in San Francisco and it had different things to do for children, so the build up was fantastic.
"The stadium is amazing and we know what the Americans are like when it comes to hospitality...they leave no stone unturned.
"The crowd isn’t segregated so we were close to a few Jordan fans, so we made sure not to celebrate too much but they were all brilliant.
"My wife Lisa went to the bar in the ground wearing a Coleraine top and the waitress informed her that her ex-partner was a Coleraine fan, so it’s certainly a small world!”
Tolan had to stump up nearly $400 each for the three tickets but confessed he was happy to do so for the one-off occasion of attending a World Cup game.
"I know the cost of the prices has been a talking point but ours weren’t too bad compared to others that have been floating about,” he said.
"It’s not every day that you get a chance to go to a World Cup game so I was happy to pay it.
"We were talking to Americans who told us that they’ve been paying $3,000 to $4,000 for high-end tickets.”
The World Cup knock-out stages get under way on Sunday – but who does Tolan think will win the tournament?
He replied: “I said Spain from the start but I think France will be hard to beat.
"They are good at the back and can score goals...so that’s a great recipe for success.”