Football community rallies around Norwich City fan targeted by online trolls

Members of the football community have rallied around a fan who was targeted by online trolls.

Norwich City supporter, Nathan West, was mocked after an interview with local sports website The Pinkun was posted on social media in the build-up to the Canaries' Championship clash with Millwall on Sunday.

However, that abuse was quickly drowned out by an outpouring of love and support from fellow football fans from all over the world who complimented Mr West on his passion and knowledge.

Supporters and players, including Norwich pair Angus Gunn and Shane Duffy, also donated in their droves to a fundraising page set up by Mr West ahead of a charity challenge he is due to take on in the autumn.

His fundraiser became the most popular on the site on Monday, with more than 55,000 visits in just 24 hours as football fans showed their support for him.

In October, Mr West, will be running the Tonbridge half marathon in Kent for Macmillan Cancer Support, and by Tuesday lunchtime, fans had raised more than £36,000 to support his cause.

The gestures did not stop there either, with Wembley Stadium reaching out to Mr West to offer him tickets to an England match of his choice, and Norwich City confirming that he would be their "community hero" for an upcoming game at Carrow Road.

Canaries winger Jonathan Rowe, who Mr West had correctly tipped to score in his interview with The Pinkun, also reached out to him to let him know that he would soon be sending over a signed shirt.

"Big up yourself for doing this interview Westy! Takes a lot of courage to express your opinions in front of a camera," Rowe wrote on X.

"I’m happy you predicted me to score again. I look forward to more predictions from you. You're the man, 100 %. I’m gonna sign a shirt and send it to you."

Justgiving's general manager Pascale Harvie said: "The overwhelming support Nathan has received from the football community has left us truly amazed.

"The power of social media in situations like this is incredible.

"More than 65,000 people have visited Nathan’s JustGiving page and to date he’s raised more than £36,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, smashing his original £500 target." 

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know