England fan swept up by Tartan Army after World Cup game - literally

Sam Cunningham, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, met three Scotland fans at a hostel while visiting the city for World Cup festivities.

After watching England’s victory over Croatia together in Boston’s designated fan zone, the 22-year-old and his new friends from Perthshire — Cailean O’Reilly, Joshua Marchbank and Blair Pringle — headed out to celebrate Mr Cunningham’s team’s win.

Given the Tartan Army’s takeover of Boston over the past week, however, with an estimated 20,000 Scotland supporters descending on the city, the group found it difficult to find a pub with an atmosphere that was not already packed with Scots.

“We ended up in a bar that was filled with Scottish people,” Mr Cunningham said.

“One of the guys told me to go and change the shirt I was wearing, just in case.

“We thought it probably wasn’t the best idea to walk into a bar full of Scots wearing an England top at a time like this.

“But I went in and everyone was really kind. One guy bought me a pint.”

The friends ended up at Coogan’s in the city centre, a pub that has become a popular gathering place for the Tartan Army during Scotland’s time in the US for the World Cup.

The Irish pub has proved a draw not only for its atmosphere but also for its unusually generous offering of $2 pints.

The interaction with Scotland fans escalated when the Scottish classic Loch Lomond came over the speakers.

“The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by the Tartan Army forming a circle with me in the middle,” Mr Cunningham said, laughing.

“And then I was suddenly being lifted and thrown up into the air.”

A video of the England fan being tossed above the heads of Scotland supporters was later posted on social media.

“I think it ended up going viral,” he said.

The England–Scotland football rivalry is among the fiercest and most deeply rooted in world sport.

As the forefathers of the game, the two nations contested the first international football match in 1872. The rivalry remains highly charged, shaped by centuries of shared history, political tensions and sporting pride.

And yet despite the historic rivalry, Mr Cunningham said, on the ground, “it’s really just banter.”

“When Scotland fans see the England shirt, someone might make a joke, like ‘what are you doing here,’ but then as soon as you get chatting, people don’t really care.

“It’s just a bit of banter. The rivalry here is not what it’s made out to be like in the mainstream media.”

Mr Cunningham added: “I am actually half Scottish. My dad is from Scotland, so maybe that has helped a bit

“I am rooting for Scotland tomorrow in their game with Morocco.

“I was rooting for them before, but after my time here in Boston, because everyone’s been so sound, I’m backing them more than I already was.”